By Our Sports Correspondent at The Valley
LIAM ROSENIOR enjoyed a dream start to life in the Chelsea dugout as his young Blues dismantled Charlton Athletic in a ruthless 5-1 FA Cup demolition.
On a night where the “new era” finally felt like it had some teeth, Chelsea’s second string proved they were far too sharp for their Championship neighbors.
Despite a brief second-half wobble, the West Londoners flexed their Premier League muscle to silence The Valley and book their spot in the fourth round with room to spare.
For 44 minutes, Charlton stood tall. Nathan Jones’ men were dogged, organized, and looked set to head into the break level. But in the dying seconds of the first half, JORREL HATO broke the deadlock with a piece of pure magic.
A cleared cross fell to the youngster on the edge of the area, and he unleashed a ferocious volley that flew past Will Mannion before the keeper could even blink. It was Hato’s first goal for the club, and it sucked the oxygen right out of SE7.
Any hopes of a Charlton comeback were dealt a hammer blow just five minutes after the restart.
TOSIN ADARABIOYO rose highest to meet a wicked Facundo Buonanotte free-kick, glancing a header home to make it 2-0.
The Valley did find its voice briefly in the 57th minute when Miles Leaburn poked home from a corner to halve the deficit. For five minutes, the upset was back on the cards—until Chelsea’s clinical finishers took charge.
MARC GUIU restored the two-goal cushion on 62 minutes, pouncing on a rebound after Mannion had parried an Alejandro Garnacho strike. From there, it was a blue wave.
Rosenior rang the changes, bringing on the big guns to finish the job. PEDRO NETO rifled home a fourth in the 91st minute after a slick counter-attack, before ENZO FERNANDEZ put the icing on the cake from the penalty spot with the final kick of the game.
The result was a statement of intent for Rosenior, even as some traveling fans continued to voice their displeasure with the club’s hierarchy. On the pitch, however, the “unique project” looked as healthy as ever.
Charlton fought bravely, but in the end, they were simply outclassed by a Chelsea side that seems determined to make the FA Cup their own this season.
