Enzo Maresca rips into Liam Delap for “very stupid” red card in dramatic Chelsea win vs Wolves | OneFootball

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca didn’t hold back after his side’s chaotic 4-3 EFL Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium.

The Blues head coach ripped into striker Liam Delap for receiving a “very stupid” red card that nearly jeopardised Chelsea’s chances of moving on to the quarter finals.

The Englishman’s return had been highly anticipated, and there was an air of excitement among the Chelsea fan base when Maresca confirmed that he’d be available to face Wolves.

However, marking his return from a hamstring injury that kept him out for two months, Delap came off the bench only to be sent off 26 minutes later.

He was handed his marching orders after committing two bookable offences just seven minutes apart.

His frustration boiled over as he pushed Yerson Mosquera to the ground before needlessly clattering into Emmanuel Agbadou with his elbow.

Maresca, who has been repeatedly questioned about his side’s discipline or lack thereof, didn’t sugar-coat his words when asked about his opinion on Delap’s antics.

He also slammed his side’s disciplinary record as “embarrassing”, with Delap’s sending off marking Chelsea’s sixth in just nine games.

When asked whether Delap deserved to be sent off, Maresca said (via BBC): “Absolutely, yes. Stupid foul. We can avoid that.”

Delap’s sending off epitomised Chelsea’s shocking collapse in the second half.

The Blues had the game in the bag at half-time as goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, and Estevao established a 3-0 lead heading into the interval.

However, a number of schoolboy errors, abysmal defending, and a shaky goalkeeping performance left Chelsea fighting to survive in the final minutes of the seven-goal thriller.

A long-range piledriver from Jamie Gittens helped Chelsea creep into the next round, but Maresca was left fuming by his side’s performance in the second half.

“The three goals we conceded, I think all of them we can avoid,” he added. “For sure, today we also had a very stupid red card that was completely unnecessary.

“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, is probably playing the game for himself and struggles to realise and listen to those around him.”

Chelsea will now be looking forward to another crucial fixture this weekend as they head north of the capital to take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.