Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca blasted Liam Delap for a “stupid” and “embarrassing” red card in Wednesday’s 4-3 win at Wolves in the League Cup fourth round.
Delap was dismissed after earning two yellow cards in the space of just seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for his first appearance since August.
The first booking was for wrestling Yerson Mosquera to the ground and his second came after a reckless aerial challenge on Emmanuel Agbadou.
It was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games this season and Maresca was furious with his striker, who will now miss Saturday’s vital London derby at Tottenham after only just returning from a lengthy hamstring injury absence.
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“For today we have a very a stupid red card, that was completely unnecessary, absolute it was a stupid foul, we can avoid that,” Maresca said.
“I completely support and understand the red card like against Brighton and Manchester United that is difficult, but the red card against Nottingham and a red card today we can avoid that and we have to avoid that.
“It’s embarrassing when it is a red card like today. It’s embarrassing, two yellow cards in seven minutes. Both I think we can avoid.
“After the first yellow card I told him to four or five times ‘keep calm’, but he’s a player when he is inside the pitch, probably he is playing the game for himself and he struggled to realise and to listen around him.”
Delap’s dismissal took the shine off Chelsea’s dramatic progress to the quarter-finals, where they will visit third tier Cardiff.
Goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George and Estevao gave Chelsea a 3-0 half-time lead against the Premier League’s bottom club.
Tolu Arokodare and David Wolfe reduced the deficit before Jamie Gittens’ 90th minute strike seemed to have ensured Chelsea’s victory.
Wolfe scored his second moments later as Wolves kept on pushing, but Chelsea held on despite Delap’s red card.