Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has described Liam Delap’s red card as “very stupid” after the striker’s late dismissal overshadowed the Blues’ thrilling 4–3 Carabao Cup victory over Wolves.
Delap, returning from a 10-week hamstring injury, was sent off just 26 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. According to BBC Sport, the 22-year-old received two yellow cards in quick succession—first for pushing Yerson Mosquera, then for barging into Emmanuel Agbadou. As a result, Delap will miss Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham, with João Pedro already doubtful.
Asked whether Delap deserved the sending off, Maresca said, “Absolutely, yes. Stupid foul. We can avoid that.”
The dismissal came amid a dramatic Chelsea collapse. The Blues led 3–0 at halftime, but Wolves fought back with three second-half goals. Jamie Gittens’ late strike ultimately secured Chelsea’s place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Cardiff City.
Maresca added, “The three goals we conceded, I think all of them we can avoid. Certainly, we also received a very unnecessary red card today. After the first yellow card, I told him [Delap] four or five times to keep calm. But Liam is a player who, when he’s on the pitch, probably plays for himself and struggles to listen to those around him.”
This marked Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s own dismissal for celebrating a last-minute winner against Liverpool before the international break.
When asked about a wider problem with indiscipline, given Chelsea’s record of the most yellow cards in the Premier League over the past three seasons, Maresca said: “I completely understand red cards in tough situations like Brighton [Trevoh Chalobah] or Manchester United [Robert Sanchez], but the ones against Nottingham Forest and today, we can and must avoid. It’s embarrassing when it’s a red card like today—two yellow cards in five or ten minutes. Both, I think, we can avoid. So it’s not good.”
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