Liam Delap has been accused by Enzo Maresca of “playing for himself” after Chelsea defeated Wolves 4–3 in the Carabao Cup.
On Wednesday, Delap returned from a hamstring injury and entered the game in the second half at Molineux. However, he was dismissed within twenty-five minutes after receiving two consecutive yellow cards.
After pushing Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera after an off-the-ball altercation in the 79th minute, the striker was given a second booking for elbowing Emmanuel Agbadou seven minutes later.
Maresca called Delap’s red card “completely unnecessary” and “absolutely deserved,” calling the 22-year-old’s behavior “very stupid.”
Chelsea received their fifth red card of the season, and the Italian strategist revealed he attempted to calm Delap down after his first yellow card but acknowledged the striker “struggles to listen to things around him.”
Enzo Maresca Attacks Delap, Liam
During his press conference after the game, Maresca criticized Delap’s farewell as “embarrassing and very stupid” in reference to the 22-year-old’s brief appearance at Molineux.
In the second half, Delap elbowed Agbadou, resulting in the Chelsea striker’s second yellow card, according to footage posted on X.
Chelsea had a 3-2 lead when Delap was sent off. Wolves’ goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, and Estevao had given Chelsea a three-goal halftime advantage, which was reduced in the second half by goals from Tolu Arokodare and David Moller Wolfe.
With a volleyed goal in the 89th minute, Jamie Gittens gave the visitors the win, but Wolfe gave Wolves another comeback in injury time.
Delap was sent off for the first time in his senior career, therefore Chelsea, who play Cardiff City in the quarterfinals, will not have him on the team when they travel to Tottenham on Saturday.
After missing the previous six weeks due to a hamstring injury, Delap, who joined the Blues in the summer from Ipswich Town, made his fourth appearance of the season on Wednesday.
After scoring once in six games during the Club World Cup, the 22-year-old is yet to contribute a goal for Chelsea. He has now gone ten league games without scoring, including seven games for Ipswich last season.
xz
