Liam Rosenior explains brutal decision after Chelsea overcome Napoli in Champions League

Gittens entered the match as a replacement for Andrey Santos at the hour mark, making an immediate impact before being substituted himself in the final minute for centre-back Benoit Badiashile.

Rosenior was quick to praise Gittens for his contribution during his time on the pitch, describing the impact as significant.

"I thought Jamie Gittens came on and made a huge difference," the Chelsea head coach said.

However, the manager explained that circumstances forced his hand in the closing stages of the contest.

"I had to take him off at the end. Big [Romelu] Lukaku was on. I needed an extra defender on the pitch in that moment," Rosenior stated.

The decision to bring on Badiashile reflected the coach's determination to protect the slender lead against the physical threat posed by the former Chelsea striker in the dying moments of the match.

Rosenior expressed particular satisfaction with how his players responded to a challenging opening period, highlighting their mental fortitude as the standout element of the performance.

"I think the most pleasing aspect was the collective mentality of the group to have a positive reaction to a difficult first half," the Blues head coach said.

The manager acknowledged that spacing issues had plagued his team before the interval, prompting adjustments at the break.

"The distances were too big in the first half so we corrected it at half-time and made personnel changes. Joao Pedro, a magnificent performance from him," he added.

"I really wanted to be front-footed today and to try to win the game."

Rosenior also revealed that his squad had been asked to implement an unfamiliar pressing strategy with minimal preparation time, making their achievement all the more impressive.

"I'm so proud of the players. Even in the first half, I'm asking them to press and a completely different way, a way they've never done before and hardly had any practice at," he said.

"To get through in this competition is the most important thing.

"I'm delighted to do it in this way, in terms of our season, in terms of my time on the pitch with the players, that's going help us so much," Rosenior said.

He concluded by expressing hope for further memorable European nights with his squad.

Chelsea are next in action against West Ham on Saturday (5.30pm).

As for Napoli, they'll do battle with Fiorentina in Serie A that same day (5pm).