Chelsea faced a chaotic night in Europe this week as their Champions League hopes suffered a heavy setback.
The Blues were beaten 5-2 by Paris Saint-Germain, with the Ligue 1 champions striking three times late on to seal an emphatic victory.
For much of the contest, Chelsea had remained competitive in the tie.
However, a dramatic collapse in the final stages left the Premier League side facing a daunting task ahead of the return leg.
But while the scoreline dominated the headlines, events before the match have now sparked a separate controversy around the club.
Reports emerged that details of Chelsea’s starting line-up had circulated online hours before kick-off, raising concerns about a possible internal leak.
The issue has prompted serious questions within the club about how such information could have been made public so far in advance of the match.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior acknowledged the situation following the game, insisting the matter would be investigated internally.
So what did Liam Rosenior think of it?
According to Fabrice Hawkins, who initially revealed the starting XI before kick-off, the lineup had appeared online several hours prior to the Champions League clash.
The early leak quickly circulated on social media, with many fans noticing that the published team sheet matched Chelsea’s eventual starting line-up.
The situation has now left Rosenior determined to identify the source behind the leak.
Speaking after the match, the Chelsea boss said he ‘wasn’t aware.’
He later added that he was ‘sure we’ll get to the bottom of that if that’s the case. These things now, they happen quite a lot.’
For Rosenior, the priority remains ensuring that such situations do not happen again.
With Chelsea still fighting on multiple fronts this season, the manager will hope the focus can quickly return to football.
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