After Rovers bowed out of the Carabao Cup in the Fourth Round, following a 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a proud Jon Dahl Tomasson praised his side for going toe-to-toe with such a richly assembled squad, despite coming up short.
“We are very proud of that performance. The boys have done excellently against a top side who have a lot of great players, not only in England, but some of the best in Europe. We’re still disappointed to be out of the cup, however, as I wanted more, so did the players and the fans. It was amazing to see over 3,000 Rovers fans make the long trip to London on a Wednesday and they did not stop cheering and supporting the boys, both throughout the game and at full-time. I think they were satisfied with the effort and the performance, but like us, disappointed with the result.
“We knew that we needed a bit of luck in order to win a game here at Stamford Bridge. I thought the players followed the game-plan to the letter and I thought we denied and stopped a lot of Chelsea chances, particularly in the first-half. We’re disappointed with the manner in which we conceded the two goals. We probably should have had a penalty in the first-half, too. Goals and moments like that change games. We had a very big chance towards the start of the second-half, an excellent ball in behind by James (Hill) and an excellent run by Harry (Leonard), but we couldn’t find the net.
“During the second-half, we got tired and Chelsea got more chances, which is normal when you’re playing against such good players who are used to playing at a different level. I’m proud of my players. It’s been an excellent cup run and we’d love to have more nights like this, especially to create more magical moments with our fans, but now we need to do that in the FA Cup instead.
“If there was VAR, tonight. We get a penalty at 1-0. If Harry scores that chance at the start of the second-half, it’s potentially a different game as we know Chelsea are also having a tough time, but those moments change games. We shouldn’t forget that our young players have learnt a lot today and they can take a lot from today’s game and be proud of their performances. They came to such a big stadium and played bravely on the ball. There was great rotation, we kept the ball and played around Chelsea which was really good considering their level.
“The likes of Adam (Wharton) and Jake (Garrett) would have learnt a lot from playing against a World Cup winner in Enzo Fernández. That’s what we’re working for. Our CEO Steve (Waggott) said that our aim is to stay in the league, this season and develop players. These kinds of games are why I think the cup is important. You get games against very good opposition, but also the opportunity to have some big matches which allow you to create memories with our fans. It’s been a great run, but we’re still disappointed that it’s over.
“I have to give a big compliment to our fans! It’s not an easy journey down here; an evening game, midweek. Saying that, they were here in huge numbers supporting the team from the first whistle. The team want to help the club and it’s amazing to see them!
“I don’t know if Hayden’s (Carter) injury is serious or not. We all know that the squad has been quite stretched this season. It’s not the biggest squad, but hopefully he’ll be alright. Let’s wait and see.
“We will be home late, just like our fans. Thursday will be a recovery day and then we will start working on Sunday’s game against Norwich City, who are a very good team. They’re also a team that we’ve beaten at their stadium, so let’s try and do that again!”
