Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca described Liam Delap’s red card as “very stupid” after the striker’s late dismissal overshadowed the Blues’ dramatic 4–3 Carabao Cup win 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 on Thursday, the 22-year-old received two yellow cards in quick succession — first for pushing Yerson Mosquera and then for barging into Emmanuel Agbadou — ruling him out of Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham, with João Pedro already a fitness concern.
When asked if Delap deserved to be sent off, Maresca replied, “Absolutely, yes. Stupid foul. We can avoid that.”
The red card capped off a shaky night for Chelsea, who squandered a 3–0 half-time lead as Wolves fought back with three second-half goals. Jamie Gittens’ stunning late strike ultimately sent the Blues into the quarter-finals, where they will face Cardiff City.
Reflecting on the match, Maresca said, “The three goals we conceded — all of them we can avoid. And we also received a very unnecessary red card today. After the first yellow, I told him [Delap] four or five times to stay calm. But Liam is a player who, when he’s on the pitch, plays the game for himself and struggles to listen to those around him.”
The sending-off was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine matches, including Maresca’s own dismissal for celebrating a last-minute winner against Liverpool before the international break.
When asked if he was concerned about the team’s discipline, Maresca admitted, “I understand when red cards come like against Brighton [Trevoh Chalobah red] or Manchester United [Robert Sanchez red] — that’s difficult — but the ones against Nottingham Forest and today, both we can and must avoid.
“It’s embarrassing when it’s a red card like today because it’s two yellows in five or ten minutes. Both could have been avoided. So it’s not good.”
