The Blues’ Carabao Cup clash with Wolves turned into a rollercoaster as Enzo Maresca’s men scraped a 4-3 victory at Molineux, despite yet another red card — this time to striker Liam Delap.
Delap, making his first appearance since recovering from an August injury, saw red in the 86th minute after picking up two yellow cards in just seven minutes. His first came for a push on Yerson Mosquera, while the second — a clumsy barge on Emmanuel Agbadou — left his teammates battling to defend their slender lead with ten men.
When asked by The Athletic if his team’s growing disciplinary issues were becoming an embarrassment, Maresca didn’t mince words.
“Yes, it’s embarrassing when it’s a red card like today. Because it’s two yellow cards in five minutes… Both, I think, we can avoid that. So it’s not good,” the Italian coach admitted.
The visibly frustrated manager revealed he repeatedly warned Delap to stay calm, but his advice went unheeded.
“After the yellow card, I told him four or five times to keep calm. But Liam is a player who, when he’s inside the pitch, probably will be playing the game for himself, and he struggles to realise and to listen around him.”
Maresca didn’t sugarcoat his assessment, describing the incident as a “very stupid red card” and one that was “completely unnecessary.”
“Absolutely deserved. It was a stupid foul. We can avoid that. I completely support the red card,” he continued.
The coach did, however, draw a line between Delap’s dismissal and others in recent weeks.
“I completely understand when there are red cards like Brighton or Manchester United, as that is difficult. But the red card against Nottingham Forest and this red card we can avoid. We have to avoid that.”
The sending-off marked the first red card of Delap’s professional career — and the sixth for the Blues in their last nine matches, highlighting a worrying trend Maresca must fix quickly.
Despite the chaos, the Blues held on for victory to advance in the Carabao Cup, but Maresca’s post-match comments made one thing clear: discipline must improve if the team hopes to keep winning.
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