Chelsea F.C. head coach Liam Rosenior has defended goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen after a costly mistake contributed to the club’s 5–2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash on Wednesday.

The Danish goalkeeper’s misplaced pass in the 74th minute was intercepted and led directly to a goal by Vitinha, triggering a late collapse that saw the French champions extend their lead heading into the return leg.

Despite the setback, Rosenior insisted that mistakes are part of football and refused to single out his goalkeeper.

“Players make mistakes and Filip is not the first one to do so. It’s part of football, but obviously it is bitter,” Rosenior said after the match.

Chelsea fight back before late collapse

The match at PSG’s home ground was tightly contested for much of the evening.

Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé initially gave PSG the lead, but Chelsea responded twice through goals from Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernández to keep the contest level.

Chelsea even thought they had another equaliser when João Pedro found the net, but the goal was ruled out for a tight offside decision.

The momentum then shifted decisively in PSG’s favour as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored a late brace to give the French side a three-goal advantage ahead of the second leg.

Rosenior accepts responsibility

Rosenior admitted that his team lost composure in the closing stages but said the squad must learn from the experience.

“The last 15 to 20 minutes were crazy in many aspects, and that is on me,” he said.
“For 70 minutes we were in the tie and the game, so it’s a painful result.”

The Chelsea boss also defended his decision to start Jorgensen ahead of Robert Sánchez, highlighting the Dane’s composure in possession against high-pressing teams.

He added that Jorgensen had already taken responsibility for the mistake in the dressing room.

“He held his hands up. Mistakes happen and we have to look after each other,” Rosenior said.

PSG in strong position for second leg

PSG manager Luis Enrique praised his team’s resilience while acknowledging the challenge of maintaining last season’s European form.

The French champions will now head into the return leg at Stamford Bridge with a commanding advantage. Unlike Chelsea, PSG will have extra recovery time after their weekend league match against FC Nantes in Ligue 1 was postponed.

Chelsea, meanwhile, face a crucial Premier League clash against Newcastle United F.C. before attempting to overturn the deficit in London.