Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal player Paul Merson was very harsh in his criticism after the match, in contrast with Gary Neville, who during the broadcast went so far as to praise Liam Rosenior's approach -- in his role as co-commentator -- as a sort of near-masterpiece in the purest Jose Mourinho style.

With several key absences, Rosenior set up his Chelsea in a pragmatic five-at-the-back system, with the clear intention of keeping the powerful Arsenal at bay for as long as possible and, when the moment came, striking on the counter-attack or through individual brilliance.

That moment, however, never fully materialized. Kai Havertz's goal in the 97th minute sealed the 4-2 aggregate defeat and confirmed that the manager's calculated gamble did not have the expected outcome. Even so, it is difficult to argue that his team did not compete or put up a fight.

The first thing worth noting is that, beyond arriving at the second leg with a one-goal deficit, Arsenal is practically unbeatable at Emirates Stadium. To date, they have suffered only one defeat all season at home, precisely against Manchester United last month. Even in that match, the Red Devils needed two truly spectacular goals to overcome tireless hosts.

Rosenior was fully aware of that context and decided to respect it, opting for an unusual 5-2-3 setup with the aim of staying alive in the tie during the first half and taking more risks later on. At halftime, with the score goalless, it was hard to argue the plan wasn't working, though Chelsea also hadn't managed to seriously trouble their opponent.

With the team still in the fight after an hour of play, the Blues manager made a series of substitutions that seemed pre-planned, bringing on key offensive pieces like Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian for the final stretch of the match. However, on this occasion, neither managed to make a difference. Although Chelsea showed a better collective version after the break, they did not find the formula to create clear chances against one of the most solid defenses at the moment.

While it was disappointing that they failed to seriously test Kepa Arrizabalaga despite attempting 14 shots and registering an xG of just 0.68, the match left the feeling of an exhausted team that ran into a superior opponent, capable of neutralizing them without too much trouble. If any of their numerous long-range shots had gone in, the match narrative would undoubtedly have been very different.

Some pundits, however, were highly critical of the nature of the performance, and Paul Merson -- a former player and legend at Arsenal -- was particularly harsh in his analysis. "I'm numb, I'm stunned," he declared at the end of the match, as the cameras focused on Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, visibly upset. "I can't believe what I've just seen. I really can't believe it."

"This is Chelsea Football Club. They have international footballers, a world champion, top-level players all over the pitch... This isn't a team fighting relegation. They came here and... they should be crying, because they didn't even try."

Merson continued, still incredulous: "I'm lost for words. I can't believe what just happened. They've been eliminated from the semifinal of a major competition, showing absolute weakness. If the gamble came off, it was brilliant; but if it didn't work, you can't put everything on the line like that. You have to try to go down with your head held high. You can't go out like that."

To finish, he added: "They played at half throttle. This was a cup semifinal. Chelsea has players to compete toe-to-toe with Arsenal, and still, they didn't even try."

Rosenior deserves credit for not shying away from the debate and firmly defending his pragmatic approach in the post-match press conference. The manager emphasized that preparing for an away match against Arsenal -- probably the strongest team in Europe right now -- required a much more nuanced approach than simply going all-out attack just because they arrived with a goal deficit.

"I've been a pundit, I know it's easy to have an opinion," he responded to Merson's criticism. "Everything is simple in hindsight. If I go out pressing high from the start and we concede two early goals, then everyone would say: 'What is he doing?' That's the reality of my job."

"The reality is that if you lose, you get criticized; if you win, you're a genius. Usually, the truth is somewhere in between."

The Chelsea fans clearly backed the 41-year-old manager's approach, giving him and his players a prolonged round of applause at the end of the match. And it's not far-fetched to think Rosenior has earned the right to try something different, after having won six of his eight matches in charge of the team.

Expounding on his plan in the press conference, the manager added, "There are aspects of today's match I'm very pleased with, and I'm here to back the team. You could see how devastated the lads were after the match for everything they gave. We believed we could come here and turn the tie around."

"In terms of control and dominance in the second half, there were moments where I felt the match was within our grasp, but we didn't know how to capitalize on it."

"I also felt the psychological component of the tie was key, and it was palpable in the stadium. At the 60th minute, Cole and Estevao came on; the match opened up, and we had situations in and around the box. There was a feeling the tie could change."

"We didn't achieve what we wanted, but in the end, it's not about match plans, it's about results."

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