Chelsea suffered their joint-heaviest defeat in a two‑legged European tie, losing 8-2 on aggregate and 3-0 on the night to European champions Paris St‑Germain at Stamford Bridge.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring after just six minutes, with Bradley Barcola doubling PSG’s lead with their second shot of the game in the 14th minute.
It effectively ended the tie as a contest, and substitute Senny Mayulu piled further misery on Chelsea in this last‑16 meeting.
There were chants from home supporters for former owner Roman Abramovich – despite the Premier League issuing a record £10.75m fine for more than £47m of undeclared payments to agents – as well as others directed against the current ownership watching from the directors’ box.
“This is a fantastic football club where the fans want success instantly and that’s rightfully so for the size of the club,” said Rosenior afterwards.
“I understand because of the aggregate scoreline in the tie why fans are frustrated. They want us to win. So, I completely get it and I understood that before I came in.
“I also want to make them happy and give them the nights they deserve. Not just me, but us as a group, as a team. That was a really difficult one to take because of the manner in which we went out this evening.”
The opening goal came after hesitant defending from Mamadou Sarr, allowing Kvaratskhelia to reach the ball first before driving a low left‑footed shot into the net.
Chelsea then mounted a flurry of attacks through Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Trevoh Chalobah before PSG struck again.
After Moises Caicedo lost possession in midfield, PSG broke forward and Barcola produced a superb first touch with his weaker left foot before half‑volleying into the top corner to double the lead.
Chelsea continued to attack and created good opportunities through Joao Pedro, Palmer and Jorrel Hato, but they also continued to concede big chances on the break to Kvaratskhelia and Barcola.
The Blues were booed off at half-time, and head coach Liam Rosenior responded by replacing Sarr with academy graduate Josh Acheampong.
After the break, Joao Pedro again went close in the 56th minute but minutes later Rosenior appeared to concede defeat, taking off star players Palmer, Fernandez and Joao Pedro.
Liam Delap, one of the replacements, had a close-range shot soon after saved before Mayulu, 19, curled a stunning shot from just inside the box to add a third on the night, building a staggering 8-2 win on aggregate.
And a night in which Chelsea became only the third English team to concede eight goals in a European tie got even worse in the closing stages with defender Chalobah stretchered off, leaving the hosts down to 10 men for the final minutes.
Rosenior confirmed Chalobah suffered a “high ankle sprain” and is “praying it’s nothing too serious because we can’t lose another defender” – a reference in part to Reece James suffering a hamstring injury at the weekend.
PSG now face the winner of Liverpool versus Galatasaray, with the Turkish club taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg at Anfield tomorrow night.
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