Liam Rosenior sacked: A timeline of failure and what it means for rest of Chelsea's season

Unsurprisingly, Rosenior was sacked less than 24 hours later.

The numbers were dire: Chelsea failed to score a single goal during that fatal five-match losing skid, giving up 11 to their opponents in that same stretch. Rosenior's short tenure ended with the Blues losing six of their last seven in the Premier League, dropping the club down to seventh place and in real danger of missing out on Europe altogether.

It was a sudden and stunning drop in form for the West London side, who initially thrived under the soft-spoken young manager. Rosenior officially took over the reins at Stamford Bridge on Jan. 8, with Chelsea sitting eighth on the table.

They responded to the former Strasbourg and Hull City boss immediately, winning Rosenior's first four league matches and storming through the early rounds of the FA Cup. In the Champions League, Chelsea were victorious in each of Rosenior's first two matches in charge, securing fifth place in the league phase and advancement directly to the round of 16. 

A pair of Carabao Cup semi-final losses to Arsenal aside, it was an almost perfect start to life at Stamford Bridge for the 41-year-old. 

However, the bloom started to come off the rose in February as the Blues drew back-to-back matches with relegation-threatened Leeds United and Burnley, keeping Rosenior's unbeaten run in the Premier League alive but showing that things weren't necessarily as rosy as they appeared.

Then the losses started to come. A March 1 defeat to Arsenal in the league was deemed an acceptable result given the relative standing of each club, and it was followed up by a spirited three-goal victory at Aston Villa three days later. That was the high point of Rosenior's final few weeks in charge as Chelsea proceeded to lose seven of their next nine games across all competitions, including that fateful five-match losing skid in the Premier League.

Rosenior's harsh words following his final defeat as Chelsea manager hinted at the root cause of what has befallen the club over the past two months. 

"I am not here to make excuses," he told the BBC on Tuesday. "That was unacceptable from everyone involved with me at the head of it. That needs to change.

"It is accountability. I have defended the players at times when it was the correct thing but I can't defend that performance. It doesn't represent this football club, it doesn't represent anything I ask from the group and that has to change."

Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images

It's hard not to come to the conclusion that the players — whom he has vociferiously defended in the past — had simply tuned out and were no longer listening to Rosenior. Vice-captain Enzo Fernandez, a player seen as a leader with the changing room at Stamford Bridge, made his return to the Chelsea squad last week after Rosenior suspended him for two games due to public comments about his future with the club.

Other players looked like shells of themselves on the field over the past month, a stark contrast to the confident, free-wheeling Chelsea side that had stormed through Rosenior's first several weeks at the helm.

The signs were indicating that Rosenior was losing the faith of his players, and after five scoreless losses Chelsea had to act.

"On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, we would like to place on record our gratitude to Liam and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club," a Chelsea statement read on Wednesday.

"Liam has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism following his appointment midway through the season.

"This has not been a decision the Club has taken lightly, however recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season. Everyone at Chelsea FC wishes Liam every success in the future."

But what does this mean for the remainder of the campaign? Chelsea have only four matches left to play in the Premier League, plus an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds. Their hopes of returning to the Champions League next season are all but dashed thanks to their disastrous run of form, leaving the Blues seven points back of the final berth.

However, a couple of victories in the FA Cup would put Chelsea into the Europa League. While it's not exactly what the Blues would have hoped for given their sizable expenditure on players and coaching staff this season — remember that Rosenior was Chelsea's second full-time manager during the current campaign after Enzo Maresca — it's European football for a club that has defined itself on continental success in recent years.

Leading the way for the remainder of this season is Calum McFarlane, who reassumes the interim head coach position he briefly held between Maresca's and Rosenior's tenures. The 40-year-old was in charge for two matches just after New Year's Day, leading Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Manchester City and a 2-1 loss at neighbouring Fulham.

It's a small sample size, but McFarlane's results were hardly inspiring. However, Chelsea could not afford to give Rosenior any more leeway, and this is probably the best they could do until the summer presumably offers a better solution to their sudden manager search.

All Chelsea can hope for now is that the players are re-energised by Rosenior's departure — at least enough to make something out of the rest of the season.

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