Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca didn’t hold back after his side’s chaotic 4–3 Carabao Cup win over Wolves, calling Liam Delap’s red card “very stupid.”
Delap, who was making his return after 10 weeks out with a hamstring injury, was sent off just 26 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. The 22-year-old picked up two yellow cards in quick succession — first for shoving Yerson Mosquera, then for clattering into Emmanuel Agbadou — and will now miss Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham.
When asked if the sending-off was justified, Maresca didn’t mince words.
“Absolutely, yes. Stupid foul. We can avoid that,” he said.
The red card added to what was already a nervy ending for Chelsea. The Blues had raced into a 3–0 halftime lead, but Wolves roared back after the break, scoring three times before Jamie Gittens’ late strike finally sealed Chelsea’s place in the quarter-finals, where they’ll face Cardiff City.
Reflecting on the match, Maresca said his team made things difficult for themselves:
“The three goals we conceded — all of them we can avoid. And then the red card… very unnecessary.
After the first yellow, I told him [Delap] four or five times to calm down. But Liam is the kind of player who sometimes plays the game for himself and struggles to listen to those around him.”
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The incident marks Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s own sending-off for celebrating a late winner against Liverpool before the international break.
Asked if he was concerned about the team’s growing disciplinary problem, Maresca admitted it’s becoming an issue.
“I can understand red cards like against Brighton or Manchester United — those are part of the game. But the ones against Nottingham Forest and today, we have to avoid.
It’s embarrassing when it’s two yellows in five or ten minutes. Both could’ve been avoided. It’s not good.”
Despite the win, Chelsea’s defensive lapses and recurring discipline issues remain a concern — and Maresca knows they’ll need more composure if they’re to keep their cup hopes alive.
