Joao Pedro is ‘on fire’ as remarkable stat bettered only by Arsenal proves Chelsea made the perfect call in hiring Liam Rosenior

Liam Rosenior has hailed Joao Pedro for his recent form for Chelsea after he scored once again against Wrexham on Saturday.

Pedro wrapped things up for the Blues in their 4-2 win in what was an instant FA Cup classic against their Hollywood-owned opposition.

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He now has 11 goals in his last 12 appearances in all competitions, with his scoring reaching new heights under Rosenior.

Before the manager arrived at Stamford Bridge in January, following Enzo Maresca‘s departure, the Brazilian had just seven goals.

But he’s taken his season tally up to 18 under his new boss, revelling in a Chelsea side who seem to just love scoring goals.

After netting another four in their electric extra-time victory over Wrexham, they have now scored 38 goals in 15 games in all competitions under Rosenior in total.

Only Arsenal, who have 39, have scored more goals among Premier League clubs since his first game in charge.

The Blues have become a major threat in the final third and a lot of that has come down to Pedro’s upturn in form.

And Rosenior spoke to talkSPORT about his 24-year-old talisman post-match, saying: “He’s on fire, he’s on fire.

“I think everybody knew when he picked up the ball and he was driving at their defence that something good was about to happen.

“He’s in that place…I wanted to manage his minutes because he’s going to be massive for us in Paris on Wednesday.

“But he did a really good job at helping us through this round.”

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Can anyone stop Pedro?

Pedro seems simply unstoppable at the moment and Rosenior clearly backs him to lead Chelsea to success this season.

He is currently fourth in the Premier League’s scoring charts, while also having the seventh most assists in the league.

His 14 top-flight goals this season are already his highest, with his previous best being 10 goals for Brighton in the 2024/25 term.

And Rosenior has surely played a huge part in lifting his striker’s confidence, labelling him ‘world class’ last week.

“I think Joao’s in that category now,” he said on Friday. “Consistently, during the two months that I’ve been here, he’s shown that level. He’s a world-class striker.

“I wouldn’t swap Joao for anyone in this moment to be honest, because he’s showing all of the things and all the attributes I want to see in my No.9.”

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Rosenior’s record

Rosenior’s appointment as Maresca’s replacement raised some questions due to his limited experience.

However, Chelsea’s choice seems to be paying off.

They’ve won 10 of his 15 games in charge in all competitions, scoring double the amount of goals they’ve conceded.

Rosenior has only tasted defeat three times – and remarkably, all of those losses have come against Arsenal.

That means that so far, only one team has managed to get the better of Chelsea under their new manager.

And they’re now into the hat for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, as they look to continue their push for some silverware.

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Into the hat

Speaking after Chelsea booked their place in the FA Cup quarters, Rosenior was pleased with his rotated squad.

He told talkSPORT post-match: “A great game for the neutral today, both sides played some good stuff.

“At times, we could’ve been better, but it was a lot of players coming back from injury, players that needed the minutes.”

He continued: “I trust my squad, I’ve got good players on the pitch, whether you put the team that plays in the Premier League or make changes, FA Cup games are so difficult.

“I’m delighted we got through. Hopefully, we have no new injuries as we need them for the run-in.

“I can never fault the effort or commitment of the players…it was a great advert for the FA Cup, credit to them.”