The ‘Stupid, Embarrassing’ Reason Why Liam Delap Isn’t Playing for Chelsea vs. Tottenham

Chelsea’s preparations for Saturday’s London derby have been dented by Liam Delap.

Liam Delap has only just returned from injury. / Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

If Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca were to offer an explanation for Liam Delap’s absence against Tottenham Hotspur, it may be closer to stupidity rather than suspension.

The normally placid Italian head coach tore into his 22-year-old striker in midweek after he was baited into a pair of brainless yellow cards during Wednesday’s nervy Carabao Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“We had a very stupid red card that was completely unnecessary and was absolutely deserved,” Maresca fumed after watching his No. 9 buffet Yerson Mosquera and Emmanuel Agbadou to the turf. “We can avoid red cards like these and we have to avoid them.

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“When it’s a red card like today, it’s embarrassing. There were two yellow cards in seven minutes, both avoidable.”

Even though Delap’s dismissal took place in the Carabao Cup, suspensions for red cards carry across all English domestic competitions, thereby barring him from the Chelsea squad which travelled to north London for Saturday’s mouthwatering clash with Spurs.

While Delap’s red card may have been uniquely boneheaded, it is hardly Chelsea’s first disciplinary slip of the season. The Blues have received five sendings-off in 2025–26, not including the dismissal Maresca received against Liverpool.

Having repeatedly brushed aside talk of any serious issue behind these red cards, Chelsea’s manager belatedly accepted it is “something that we have to do better.”

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Chelsea Red Cards in 2025–26

Date / Opponent	Dismissed Individual	Reason
Sept. 20 / Man Utd	Robert Sánchez	Denial of goalscoring opportunity
Sept. 27 / Brighton	Trevoh Chalobah	Denial of goalscoring opportunity
Sept. 30 / Benfica	João Pedro	Two yellow cards
Oct. 4 / Liverpool	Enzo Maresca	Two yellow cards
Oct. 18 / Nottingham Forest	Malo Gusto	Two yellow cards
Oct. 29 / Wolves	Liam Delap	Two yellow cards

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Delap Apologises for Red Card

Liam Delap was sent off on his return. / Marc Atkins/Getty Images

The red mist had faded for Delap by the time his Chelsea teammates trudged back into the dressing room after clinging onto an unnecessarily tetchy 4–3 win at Molineux on Wednesday. “Straight after the game in the changing room, yeah. He apologised to everyone,” Maresca revealed.

“I spoke with Liam, but Liam, he knows everything. He is aware of the situation. He knows that he made a mistake. And full stop. No more than that.”

Delap won’t get the chance to redeem himself in a competitive setting until Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Qarabag. Three days later, the summer recruit is intriguingly reunited with his tormentors Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

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