Chelsea 3-2 West Ham: Liam Rosenior understands fans' boos but hopes to become 'best decision' in club history | Football news

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior says fans were right to boo at the end of the first half against West Ham but hopes his hiring becomes “the best decision” the club has ever made.

The chorus of boos at Stamford Bridge was deafening when Anthony Taylor blew through the end of the first 45 minutes, with the Hammers leading 2-0 against a lackluster Blues who saw seven changes to their team.

The reaction in the stands was such that Robert Sanchez and Trevor Chalobah appeared to find themselves in heated debates with some supporters as they left the field at half-time.

The introduction of key players at half-time turned the game on its head, with captain Enzo Fernandez completing the comeback in second-half injury time as Stamford Bridge went from a place of despair to a place of jubilation in the space of 45 minutes.

“I have to say the fans were magnificent in the second half,” Rosenior said in his post-match press conference.

“They were right to boo. I would have booed us in the first half. Our performance was nowhere near the level it needed to be in collective terms, in terms of energy and decision-making.

“To see them 45 minutes later, so happy and delighted with what they saw from the team, makes me very proud. I said to the players at half-time, 'We can create what is probably the worst feeling of the season, the best feeling of the season'. And I think they came out and played magnificently in the second half.”

The victory was the first time Chelsea had overturned a two-goal half-time deficit in the Premier League, and thus saw them climb to fourth place in the Premier League table.

This could prove to be a pivotal moment in the early stages of Rosenior's Chelsea career.

“I hope that in time they will say it [hiring him] It was the best decision this club has ever made,” he added.

“But I can't focus on that. It's a really proud club with an incredible tradition and recent history of winning trophies.

“They want it and I want it too. For a manager who comes in the middle of a season with few sessions and gets six wins from seven games, it's not a bad way to start.

“As long as the team showed fighting spirit, energy and intensity in the second half, the fans showed that they would be with us and support us.”

Chelsea's incredible comeback only highlights team's depth issues

Analysis from Sky Sports' Callum Bishop:

If you had asked every Chelsea supporter inside Stamford Bridge at the break what they thought of the scoreline at full time, no one would have predicted this. The stadium was unstable, then Liam Rosenior turned to his bench and turned the game on its head.

Seven changes have been made to the starting line-up, apparently with the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal in mind. But it seemed that Rosenior had closed the academy. His players lacked sharpness and ideas. Alejandro Garnacho only played two forward passes in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Enter Joao Pedro, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana and suddenly Chelsea look like a different team. All three contributed to the goals. But you can't ignore the fact that Rosenior has a problem.

“We all know the [regular] starting XI, but the players who aren't in it are so far from the starting XI”, was Rob Green's verdict and he was right.

Chelsea's best team can compete with anyone in the Premier League. But on Saturday, it was proven that if you remove some of these ingredients, you are heading for disaster.