Rosenior wants more of the same from Chelsea after vital win

Liam Rosenior has urged his Chelsea players to kick on after a comfortable win against Aston Villa boosted hopes of Champions League qualification.

The Blues came from behind to win 4-1 against a team also battling for a top-four spot.

Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick as Chelsea moved up to fifth in the table, and they are now just three points off fourth-placed Villa, and Manchester United in third.

Rosenior, who spoke of frustration in recent weeks after his side drew with Burnley before they were beaten by league leaders Arsenal last weekend, is happy with how his side have fought back.

“You’re going to have setbacks in your season,” said the head coach.

“Whether that’s dropping points, whether that’s losing games that you shouldn’t, or conceding the first goal.

“The maturity of the team, the quality that we played with, it can be better, for sure.

“But in terms of the spirit and what you want to see in a team, I was really, really pleased with that tonight.”

Rosenior also admitted that the big win at Villa Park will only matter if Chelsea can continue to climb the Premier League table.

“It’s only significant if we back it up,” he added, speaking about the race for European football.

“We have to be consistent. We just need to back it up and not look at the significance of the games.

“We just need to perform, and if we perform at that level, we’re going to be in a good place.”

The Blues are now set for a break from Premier League action.

Chelsea next face Wrexham in the FA Cup on Saturday evening, before a big trip to France for the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie with holders Paris Saint-Germain.