Chelsea owners agree on Liam Rosenior sack decision in private talks | Football | Sport

Liam Rosenior insists the Chelsea board are in agreement and “100 per cent” behind him despite managing just one victory in seven matches. The Blues find themselves seven points adrift of the Champions League places and face a crucial Premier League clash at Brighton on Tuesday as they look to avoid losing further ground in the battle for European qualification.

A 1-0 defeat to Manchester United saw Chelsea fall 10 points behind their opponents, with Matheus Cunha’s solitary strike proving enough to seal a fourth consecutive league defeat. Their inability to find the net against the Red Devils set an unwanted record for the former Hull and Strasbourg boss, as this Chelsea side became the first to fail to score in four successive league matches in over 28 years.

The heat is rising on Rosenior, who only stepped in to replace Enzo Maresca at the start of January. Following an encouraging start at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea now have Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Everton, Sunderland and Fulham snapping at their heels for a European place next season.

A victory for the Seagulls would see the Londoners drop to seventh, which would represent only a Europa Conference League spot. Yet the 41-year-old maintains that the club’s hierarchy remains firmly in his corner, lifting a lid on their private conversations.

He said: “100 per cent. They’ve been supportive of me in our daily conversations. We are aligned, knowing we need to win games of football now.”

Chelsea return to Premier League action just days after their home defeat to Manchester United, with the Blues also set for FA Cup semi-final duty against Leeds United at Wembley.

Rosenior didn’t go as far as labelling the trip to the south coast as must-win, but conceded that results have to improve quickly.

“We’ve made it very difficult for ourselves, we have to be honest,” he added. “We have to make sure we go to Brighton with similar attributes to Man United in terms of energy and application. We need to be more clinical and more ruthless in both boxes.

“As a coach, you have to work to the data and the process because you believe your process works in the end. We need to win a game of football, that’s what this club demands.

“We’ll deal with each situation as it arises. It’s a difficult task but we have to focus on winning against a very good Brighton team.”

Rosenior also confirmed that Estevao has been ruled out of the clash, while Joao Pedro will be a late decision. Enzo Fernandez is fit to play, however.