Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior slams referee Paul Tierney after pre-match huddle chaos

Chelsea were beaten 1-0 at Stamford Bridge after an early strike from Anthony Gordon, but much of the post-match discussion centred on the unusual scene before kick-off.

Rosenior's side have recently adopted a ritual of gathering around the ball on the centre spot for a pre-match huddle. However, before Saturday's game Tierney was already standing on the centre circle holding the match ball and did not move as the Chelsea players assembled around him.

The moment prompted bemused reactions from several players, with Cole Palmer jokingly putting his arms around the referee while staring quizzically at him as teammates looked on.

Rosenior said he plans to contact Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to seek clarification about the incident and a penalty decision during the match.

"If Paul had focused more on his job, which was to make the right decision, we'd have a penalty today," Rosenior said. "I don't think anyone can say that Woltemade doesn't kick Palmer down in the box.

"I'll be speaking to PGMOL and the refs to get an understanding of why that happened today. We were told that in the rulebook you can be where you want and it's about timing."

Rosenior stressed the huddle was introduced by the players and was not intended to provoke opponents.

"My players made a decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership," he said. "That is not my decision. That is a decision between the leadership group and the team. There is nothing that they're doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition."

He added that the ritual had already been raised by Tierney during a pre-match meeting.

"Before the game we had a meeting with the referee. My assistant goes in and the first thing he talks about is our huddle," Rosenior said. "We're not being disrespectful to the opposition."

Rosenior also expressed frustration that attention had shifted away from decisions during the match.

"I'm disappointed," Rosenior said. "There's more focus and emphasis on the things that don't matter.

"I'm going to make it really clear. I want to protect my players. I'm respectful to the game."

"So let's focus on the things that are important. My team showing unity is not as important as getting the decisions right on the pitch."

Asked if he had spoken to Tierney after the game, Rosenior added: "I didn't speak to Paul today or his officials. I thought it wasn't the right thing to do today. But I'll be speaking to PGMO.

"I'll be speaking to the refs and just trying to get an understanding of why that happened today. We were told in the rule book it's about timing. You can be where you want on timing."

"I just want to find a solution to this because we're actually talking about something that's nowhere near as important as what's happening on the pitch."