Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca didn’t hold back after his side’s chaotic 4-3 Carabao Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night, describing Liam Delap’s red card as “very stupid” and admitting that Chelsea’s growing disciplinary issues have become “embarrassing.”
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Delap, who had just returned from a 10-week layoff with a hamstring injury, was sent off just 26 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. The 22-year-old striker received two quick yellow cards — first for pushing Yerson Mosquera, and then for barging into Emmanuel Agbadou.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Maresca made no excuses for Delap’s dismissal. When asked whether Delap deserved to be sent off, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. Stupid foul. We can avoid that."
Maresca revealed that he repeatedly warned Delap to calm down after his first booking, but the forward ignored his advice.
“After the yellow card, I told him four or five times to keep calm. But Liam is a player that, when he’s on the pitch, probably plays a little bit for himself and struggles to listen to what’s around him.”
The Chelsea boss admitted that Delap’s reckless challenge made the final minutes tense, but the Blues managed to hang on for a dramatic 4-3 win at Molineux to secure their place in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.
Delap’s red card was Chelsea’s sixth sending-off in just nine matches across all competitions, a worrying trend that Maresca says must stop.
“I completely understand when there are red cards like against Brighton [Trevoh Chalobah red] or Manchester United [Robert Sanchez red], that's difficult, but the red cards against Nottingham Forest and today, both we can and have to avoid. It's embarrassing when it's a red card like today because it's two yellow cards in five or 10 minutes. Both, I think, we can avoid. So it's not good.”
Despite the frustration surrounding Delap’s dismissal and Chelsea’s ongoing discipline problems, Maresca took encouragement from his team’s resilience. The Blues held their nerve in a thrilling second half to book their spot in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals, where they will face League One side Cardiff City, who defeated Wrexham in the previous round.
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