Protesting Chelsea fans chant Enzo Maresca's name in show of anger against owners BlueCo - including supporters who travelled 11,000km from Malaysia to join rally outside Stamford Bridge

The breaking point was the departure of popular manager Maresca on New Year's Day, following an alleged breakdown in his relationship with the hierarchy, specifically co-owner Behdad Eghbali. Ahead of the match with Brentford the Blues had won just one of its last seven Premier League matches, a period that included disappointing results including the 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth and a 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa at the end of December. Fans felt Maresca was made a scapegoat for deep-seated structural issues and vented their fury before the west London derby, including some fans who had travelled all the way from Malaysia for the match.

in the build-up to his departure, Maresca said he felt his position was "untenable" amid disagreements over player management, transfers and a perceived lack of internal support following public comments and was relieved of his job on the first day of 2026. Liam Rosenior was quickly appointed as Maresca's successor, signing a long-term contract until 2032, his hiring was facilitated by the fact that he was the manager of Strasbourg, another club within the BlueCo ownership consortium. 

Rosenior is known as a progressive, forward-thinking coach who champions a possession-based style of play and has a strong record in developing young players, which aligns with the club owners' philosophy. His appointment was viewed as an internal solution to restore stability and follow a consistent footballing vision. But the move greatly annoyed fans.

The protests ahead of the match were soon forgotten after Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory over the Bees, handing new head coach Rosenior a win in his first Premier League game in charge. Joao Pedro opened the scoring for the Blues in the 26th minute with a powerful left-footed shot after a VAR review confirmed the goal. Brentford had their chances in the first half, with Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade threatening, the latter hitting the post from a Mathias Jensen pass. Chelsea doubled their lead in the 76th minute when Cole Palmer converted a penalty, awarded after Liam Delap was fouled by the Brentford goalkeeper. This win moves Chelsea above Brentford into sixth place in the Premier League table.