Louis Sealey
Published February 21, 2026 6:38pm
Updated February 21, 2026 6:38pm
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Liam Rosenior during Chelsea’s draw with Burnley (Picture: Getty)
Liam Rosenior accused a Chelsea player of ‘marking the wrong player’ for Burnley’s injury-time equaliser at Stamford Bridge.
Joao Pedro’s early goal looked to have earned Chelsea a 1-0 win over Burnley despite Wesley Fofana’s second-half red card.
But Zian Flemming headed home James Ward‑Prowse’s late corner to earn relegation-battlers Burnley a point and dent Chelsea’s Champions League hopes.
The draw sends Chelsea back into the top-four places but Manchester United will reclaim that position if they avoid defeat against Everton on Monday night, while Liverpool will join the Blues on 45 points if they beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Burnley, meanwhile, stay 19th – eight points from safety – despite avoiding defeat for only the 11th time in 27 games this season.
Rosenior described the draw as ‘really frustrating’, particularly as Chelsea also failed to beat fellow relegation-battlers Leeds United last week.
‘We should have killed the game,’ Rosenior said after Chelsea’s draw with Burnley. ‘I thought we started the game very well.
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Zian Flemming earned Burnley a point against Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
‘After the first goal we were happy just to maintain possession and not be ruthless. You need to be ruthless in this league because if you don’t defend set plays well, which we haven’t, then you get punished.
‘That is something that is really, really frustrating about today’s performance. It’s very frustrating. We should have four more points from our last two home games.
‘It’s as simple as that. We have to make it up. We have a huge game away at Arsenal next week and we have to focus on that and make sure we pick up our performances and pick up our discipline in key moments.’
Joao Pedro gave Chelsea an early lead (Picture: Getty)
Rosenior also revealed one of his players ‘marked the wrong player’ for the decisive corner from which Burnley scored.
‘An assignment was missed. An assignment, a marking assignment wasn’t done,’ the Chelsea boss added.
‘[Zian] Flemming, we know, is their best header of the ball. And there was a player who I won’t [name], I’m not here to throw players under the bus, I will always protect my players.
‘But I will deal with it in the week. There was a player we assigned that duty who marked the wrong player.’
FULL-TIME: Chelsea took an early lead through Joao Pedro, but Burnley had the last laugh thanks to Zian Flemming's 93rd-minute equaliser 💥🟣 pic.twitter.com/VvGkwJoqVj
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 21, 2026
Fofana’s dismissal was Chelsea’s eighth red card of the season – more than any other team in the Premier League.
Asked whether he would be holding an inquest into Chelsea’s poor disciplinary record, Rosenior said: ‘No, I’ve said this before. I’ve been asked this before. I will never, ever speak about what’s happened before me.
‘What has happened with me is we have set fire to four points from two home games. Anyone watching the game, it’s not good enough for a club of this level.
Wesley Fofana was sent off against Burnley (Picture: Getty)
‘It’s not good enough for me to come and say we were the better team. We need to be the better team in every game. We need to win games of football.
‘I know what the answer is and we will address it in the week. There’s an inquest after every game whether we win or lose.
‘I’m learning about the players. I’m learning about the people you can lean on when things aren’t going your way and you need to see a game out. That’s something we need to address very quickly.
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‘Our discipline since I’ve come in, which is what I only speak on, has been very good.
‘That was an unfortunate red card for Wes, he stepped in on a challenge. I felt there was something that could have been dealt with better before that happened by the referee and went unnoticed.
‘But you’re going to get red cards, it’s too many. It’s too many for sure. But in my time with the group, I think our discipline record has been very good up to now.’
Chelsea face Premier League leaders and London rivals Arsenal next weekend while Burnley return to action against Brentford.
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