Liam Rosenior praises 'magnificent and brave' Wrexham but insists decisive VAR calls on red card and disallowed goal were 'correct'

Speaking after the final whistle, the Chelsea boss did not hold back in his assessment of a pulsating FA Cup tie that saw Wrexham twice take the lead through Sam Smith and Callum Doyle. The Premier League giants needed a late Josh Acheampong strike to force the game into extra-time, especially after Pedro Neto agonisingly hit the crossbar in the dying moments of normal time.

Rosenior stated: "That's every reason why the FA Cup is what it is. I think they were magnificent. Magnificent in their energy, and how brave they were in the press, and how they played. Then we had to be at a high, high level. We were pushed all the way by very good team. You've got to show character as well. "

Asked about his team's inability to take control of the game earlier, he said: "We have control, and we need to find a way to get the game managed better. But in these cup ties, when there's emotion, you can feel the emotion of the game. They're very difficult games to play in. We won't be the only team in the Premier League in this round to find it difficult against lower-level opposition. We need to find a way. But also, what's that? I think 15 games, 10 wins now. It's not a bad place to be. So we just need to keep working. We need to recover. We've got a big game on Wednesday. We need to start preparing for that."

The match swung on two pivotal moments involving VAR, starting with George Dobson’s dismissal in the 93rd minute. The Wrexham midfielder was initially shown a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Alejandro Garnacho, but referee Peter Bankes upgraded it to a red following a pitchside monitor review. Shortly after, Wrexham thought they had equalised with six minutes left in extra time, only for VAR to rule that Chris Brunt was fractionally offside when he turned the ball in at the far post. 

Rosenior remained firm on the calls, saying: "They're both correct decisions from me. I know it's frustrating. Any challenge that's dangerous is a dangerous challenge, and if you're offside, you're offside. It doesn't matter how small the margins are. We needed elements of luck today because Wrexham were that good in terms of their performance." 

He added: "We won't be the only team in the Premier League in this round to find it difficult against lower-level opposition."

Alejandro Garnacho was a standout, scoring in extra-time despite playing 90 minutes earlier in the week. Rosenior praised him, stating: "Ale is in a great place. His goals, his energy levels for 120 minutes were magnificent." The manager also defended making nine changes to his XI: "That's a risk that you take by rotating, but it's also the trust I have in the group to make sure we win games and get the squad in the best possible shape."

With a Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain looming, Rosenior dismissed fitness concerns after the 120-minute battle. "No, I don't think it will be because of the way that we are rotating," he insisted. He also welcomed back Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo, who both played 60 minutes. On Lavia's return from a four-month injury, he added: "He's a top player. But you can't expect perfection for a player who's been out for four months."