Before even making his debut, Chelsea's new head coach faced his first shock.

Liam Rosenior expressed obvious dissatisfaction when witnessing a Chelsea player get a direct red card after losing control momentarily.

In the early hours of January 8 (Vietnam time), Chelsea once again delivered a heavy disappointment by losing 1-2 to Fulham at Craven Cottage, during the 21st round of the 2025/26 Premier League season. This defeat plunged The Blues deeper into crisis, especially as they played with one less player very early in the match.

The new Chelsea coach was present in the stands at Craven Cottage alongside co-owner Behdad Eghbali, while Calum McFarlane was still acting as interim manager. The controversial moment occurred in the 22nd minute when Cucurella pulled down Harry Wilson just outside the penalty area. As a Fulham player was breaking through to face the goal, the Spanish defender immediately received a straight red card from referee Peter Bankes.

Broadcasts, including Sky Sports, quickly captured Rosenior’s cold, expressionless face in the stands. What followed only added to the frustration of Chelsea’s soon-to-be head coach.

The situation angered many Chelsea players. Enzo Fernandez, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Cole Palmer all received yellow cards for protesting to the referee. Even Fulham's coach, Marco Silva, was booked for similar behavior.

Explaining the decision to send off but not award a penalty to Fulham, the Premier League Operations Center posted on social media X: “The decision to award Fulham a direct free kick and issue a red card to Cucurella for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) was reviewed and confirmed by VAR. The foul was determined to be a trip, occurring outside the penalty area.”

Immediately after the red card, Chelsea had to adjust their tactics. Andrey Santos, who had previously worked with Rosenior at Strasbourg, was substituted off to make way for Jorrel Hato.

Liam Rosenior was officially confirmed as Chelsea’s head coach on Tuesday morning. The former Hull City manager signed a five-and-a-half-year contract to replace Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge, with an option to extend for an additional year.

However, Calum McFarlane still managed Chelsea directly in the Fulham match. Rosenior is expected to take his first seat on the bench for the London club’s FA Cup away game against Charlton this weekend. Meanwhile, Strasbourg quickly appointed former Premier League coach Gary O’Neil as Rosenior’s replacement.