How Liam Rosenior can get the best out of Alejandro Garnacho and the key sign that the new boss has finally instilled some discipline, writes KIERAN GILL

Before we all annihilate Alejandro Garnacho, we should remember the only reason Chelsea still stand a chance of reaching the Carabao Cup final is because of his two goals against Arsenal.

That was in the first leg as an impact substitute in that 3-2 loss.

However, on the basis of this starting appearance versus West Ham, a bench option should be the 21-year-old’s role for the time being.

Garnacho had as poor a first half that a player can have, and was rightly hooked at half-time, Liam Rosenior being a proactive head coach in how he makes changes when they are called for, no matter the time.

We had barely played half an hour at Stamford Bridge when Garnacho reached double figures in possessions lost, per Opta’s statistics.

For West Ham’s first goal, Garnacho was weak when wrestling with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, West Ham’s right back leaving Chelsea’s winger on the deck. Wan-Bissaka gave the ball to Jarrod Bowen, whose cross curled beyond Robert Sanchez.

For West Ham’s second goal, Wan-Bissaka charged forward with Garnacho failing to follow him all the way. That meant he was free to receive a pass from Bowen before cutting the ball back for Crysencio Summerville, who scored from 18 yards.

Now, we can forgive attackers for lapses when it comes to defending, but at the other end, the Argentinian never got the better of Wan-Bissaka in his one-v-ones. That led to his half-time replacement – one of three made by Rosenior at the break – and Chelsea wound up winning without their £40million summer signing.

Kudos must go to Rosenior for his in-game management because his predecessor Enzo Maresca often struggled to make the right substitutes. Nuno Espirito Santo made negative changes, and lost. Rosenior introduced the cavalry, and they came to his rescue to ensure Chelsea ended Saturday in the Premier League’s top four.

It is nice that Rosenior’s family sit directly behind the Chelsea dugout. The beauty of the press box being so close means we sometimes see his interactions with them. His father, Leroy, was among those loved ones supporting him here and the Blues boss flashed him a wink after Enzo Fernandez’s winner.

Rosenior earned that nice moment with how he changes this match with his decisions.

Garnacho was not the only disappointment for Chelsea. Benoit Badiashile likewise struggled in the first half, and was hooked at half-time, replaced by Wesley Fofana.

Badiashile’s defensive contribution was enough to make you wonder whether it might convince Chelsea to pay Rennes what they want for Jeremy Jacquet before deadline day – Monday, 7pm – or up their talks to apparently bring back Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg to boost their options.

Will the Blues pay Rennes what they want for Jeremy Jacquet (left) before deadline day?

After Marc Cucurella’s equaliser, Rosenior called over Cole Palmer, seemingly to ask him how he was feeling. Palmer told him he was fine, fit to continue, and wanted to help find the winner.

Palmer completed 90 minutes versus West Ham, mainly because of how the match unfolded. Had Chelsea been able to secure a healthy lead, he would have been replaced to save his legs for Tuesday versus Arsenal. Chasing the win, that was not possible, so the Blues will see how their playmaker responds to this full 90 before deciding on the line-up in the Carabao Cup.

We have often highlighted the immaturity of Chelsea’s players when picking up pointless yellows and reds. Credit, then, should be given for how they handled the mass brawl in stoppage time with a little more class than their West Ham counterparts.

It was instigated by Adama Traore, when he threw Cucurella to the ground. Traore avoided a red card, along with Konstantinos Mavropanos, who appeared to try to slap Cole Palmer.

But Jean-Clair Todibo was not so fortunate as referee Anthony Taylor showed him a straight red via VAR for practically strangling Joao Pedro in a clear case of violent conduct.

West Ham already wanted a new central defender and have shown interest in Axel Disasi. Chelsea told them they want to sell Disasi, not loan him. Now the Hammers need to find a temporary replacement for Todibo after his act of idiocy.

Rosenior arrived at Chelsea knowing his team had a reputation – as the Premier League’s youngest side who can occasionally lose control of their senses – but they stayed on the right side of the law to their credit here.