Chelsea suffered what may be its worst result in Champions League history on Tuesday night, yet a single moment amid the humiliation managed to capture the world's attention.
Tuesday was total disappointment for Chelsea fans who had filled Stamford Bridge believing it was possible to overturn the Champions League round-of-16 tie against PSG despite the 5-2 first-leg defeat in Paris.
But the defending champions began dismantling that hope very early, because before the first 15 minutes of the first half had elapsed, they had already established a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola.
By the time a multitude had left the stadium disappointed by the production of the team led by Liam Rosenior, which had Enzo Fernandez as starter and captain, the second-half goal from Senny Mayulo arrived, decreeing the 3-0 final in favor of the Parisians.
There was still room, however, for an episode that would spark discussion on social media. The Blues manager began writing a note and called Alejandro Garnacho, who had come on in that second half, to be his messenger.
The curious part, even for the Argentine footballer judging by his reaction, was that by then, 83 minutes had already been played and Chelsea was down 8-2 on aggregate.
"Liam Rosenior is writing tactical instructions on a note in the 83rd minute. Losing the match 3-0. Losing the tie 8-2. How humiliating!" wrote one X user sharing images of the moment. "Alejandro Garnacho didn't seem convinced when Rosenior handed him the tactical note.
Even Tosin looked bewildered receiving it," another commented. "We need to score six goals," another joked about the content of the note that quickly went viral.
As Liam Rosenior attempted to explain in his post-elimination press conference, Chelsea's current situation can be attributed to the title won at the Club World Cup in the United States, specifically by defeating PSG in the final.
"It's not an excuse, it's a consequence of our success at the Club World Cup. It was a great achievement for the club, but if you don't manage playing minutes well, the risk of injuries increases considerably," he began.
He added: "I have to make very difficult decisions that, at the time, are not ideal. You never want to take your best players off when you're losing by five goals, but I want to make the decisions that are best for this club in the long term."
Join The Conversation
Roundtablesports is Free to join! You can post your own thoughts, comment on articles, and start conversations with our Roundtable Writers.
Download the FREE Roundtable APP, and get even easier access to your favorite teams and news!