'Disappointed' Liam Rosenior 'will be speaking to PGMOL' over odd moment referee ended up in Chelsea huddle before Newcastle kick-off

The main topic of discussion after the 1-0 defeat was referee Paul Tierney appearing to huddle around the Chelsea players. Rosenior was quick to defend his players' actions, questioning the referee's focus during the match, particularly regarding the penalty awarded against the home side.

"I'm disappointed," the Blues boss said. "There's more focus and emphasis on the things that don't matter. I'm going to make it really clear. I want to protect my players. I'm respectful to the game. My players made the decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership. That is not my decision. That was a decision between the leadership group and the team."

He added: "My players made a decision that they wanted to huddle around the ball to show unity; it's not my decision. There's nothing disrespectful about it. If Paul had focused more on his job, which is to make the right difference, we would have had a penalty today. Let's focus on the things that are important.

"I'll be honest I didn't speak to Paul today or his officials but I'll be speaking to the PGMOL and the refs to try and get an understanding of why that happened today. We were told, in the rule book, it's about timing. I just want to find a solution to this. We're talking about something that's nowhere near as important as what happened."

On the pitch, Anthony Gordon's early strike was enough to separate the sides. Rosenior lamented the tactical lapse that led to the goal, suggesting his team is still adapting to a high-risk, high-reward pressing system that can be punished by clinical opposition like the Magpies.

"It feels like every mistake we're making is ending up in the back of the net. First 15-20 minutes, we had chances. The goal gave Newcastle energy. We lacked a bit of mental freshness in the final third and the second thing is we need to make sure, if we're not going to score then the other team don't score. It's disappointing we didn't keep a clean sheet when they didn't create much."

The defeat sparked a negative reaction from the Stamford Bridge faithful, who booed the team at various intervals. Despite the result, Rosenior was keen to put the current form into perspective: "From my time with the group, we're third in the league. Sometimes it feels like that's not the case. The last league game we played, we lost 4-1 at Aston Villa."

Chelsea were without several key figures for the clash, including goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and winger Pedro Neto. Rosenior provided an update on the fitness of his squad, noting that late setbacks in training had disrupted his preparation for the Newcastle game.

"Filip felt his groin in training yesterday but hopefully he's back soon. It's difficult with the injuries in the attacking areas. Jamie was due back on the bench but he felt his hamstring late after training yesterday. Estevao is out. We were semi preparing for [Neto's ban] because we knew it was going to a hearing. It cost us Pedro on the pitch today who could have made a huge difference."

Regarding the absence of youngster Josh Acheampong, Rosenior clarified that it was a purely tactical choice rather than an indication of the player's long-term standing at the club. "Josh Acheampong, it's just a decision I made today. He's not out of my plans at all," the head coach added.

The loss represents a significant setback for the Blues as they look to secure a return to Europe's elite competition. While they remain high in the table, the inconsistency shown in recent weeks has allowed rivals to close the gap, increasing the pressure on Rosenior to find immediate solutions.