Liam Rosenior rues Mamadou Sarr 'mistake' as Chelsea crash out of Champions League | OneFootball

Blues boss points to early error as key to another defeat

Liam Rosenior says it was a Mamadou Sarr error - rather than his tactics - that set Chelsea on the way to a humiliating Champions League exit.

Trailing 5-2 from the first leg, the Blues fell to another humbling defeat, this time at Stamford Bridge, as Paris Saint-Germain ran out 8-2 winners on aggregate in a one-sided last-16 tie.

It was a chastening start for the youngster, whose error after just six minutes allowed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to open the scoring on a night when PSG again ran riot.

Asked if he wanted more fight from his players, Rosenior said: “Yeah, 100 per cent.

“First six minutes, we're in the game, we're in their half of the pitch and then they score. I know that Mamadou is a great young player. These are things that you have to ride, but you have to learn from.

“We make a mistake, it's an individual error. There's nothing tactical and Kvaratskhelia, because he's a top player, he scores.

“That gives them confidence, gives them a cushion and [Bradley] Barcola hits one from 25 yards into the top corner. I don't remember them having a shot either side of that. So, we have to learn at the top, top level to be clinical and to make sure we keep the back door shut. We've done neither over the two legs and that's why we're out of the competition.”

Rosenior added about Sarr, who he worked with at Strasbourg before Chelsea: “Mamadou has played in that position for me and Mamadou's been outstanding in games against PSG. And I felt his experience, his feel of the players, would help him.

“And when you're a player and you make a mistake that early, it can become a really difficult night for you. We missed Reece [James], who's out. Yeah, these are decisions that you want to make and you want to get correct.

“And in that moment, Mamadou's made a mistake, which has made it a difficult night, because it gave PSG the confidence.”