Chelsea edged past Wolverhampton Wanderers by the skin of their teeth to advance to the quarter-final of the League Cup.
Chelsea should have been home and dry after leading by 3-0 at half-time, but the Blues were guilty of allowing the home side back into the game.
Apart from the blunders from Facundo Buonanotte and Filip Jorgensen, Chelsea striker Liam Delap picked up a needless second yellow card that could easily have been a direct red card.
On his first appearance since his hamstring injury that sidelined him for almost two months, he got into two needless scuffles that got him sent off and left the Blues hanging by a thread.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was rightly incensed by the red card. The Blues have received too many of those this season, carrying on their disciplinary issues from last term.
Malo Gusto, Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah, Joao Pedro, and even Maresca himself have been sent off this term.
While some were mistakes, Delap’s case was a frustrating brain-dead move.
Maresca said (via the BBC), “The three goals we conceded, I think all of them we can avoid. 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.”
Maresca now needs to curb Chelsea’s growing penchant for red cards before it derails their season.
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It has already cost the Blues valuable points in the league and nearly proved disastrous again against Wolves.
The Italian previously brushed off concerns about discipline, insisting it wasn’t a pattern, but that stance is becoming harder to justify.
This is not about bad luck or refereeing calls. It’s about control, composure, and accountability.
Maresca must instil those qualities fast if Chelsea are to remain competitive on multiple fronts.
A team capable of playing with such flair cannot keep sabotaging itself through needless dismissals.