Enzo Maresca lambasted Liam Delap for his “very stupid red card” and called on his young squad to “grow up”. Chelsea, 3-0 up at half-time, managed to turn this into a topsy-turvy tie that earned them a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff, but has cost them the services of their striker for Saturday’s game at Tottenham.
The Chelsea manager had no sympathy for Delap who, returning as a substitute after two months out with a hamstring injury, was dismissed for collecting two similar yellow cards in seven late minutes.
Wolves, despite extending a poor start to the season, ended up in credit. The Premier League’s bottom side battled fiercely to regain some pride, getting applauded by supporters who had booed them off from Sunday’s defeat by Burnley.
Cardiff to host Chelsea
Cardiff have been handed a dream home Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea.
The League One club are the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, having won 2-1 at Welsh rivals Wrexham on Tuesday night.
Chelsea came through 4-3 against Wolves at Molinuex, holding off a second-half fightback from the home side to secure their place in the last eight.
Elsewhere in the draw, holders Newcastle will be at home to Fulham.
Crystal Palace will head to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Manchester City, who came from behind to win 3-1 at Swansea, will be at home against Brentford. PA Media
Carabao Cup quarter-final draw in full
Arsenal v Crystal Palace
Cardiff City v Chelsea
Manchester City v Brentford
Newcastle United v Fulham
The games will take place in the week commencing Monday 15 December.
Two goals from David Møller Wolfe, after Tolu Arokodare had brought the score back to 3-1, gave their supporters heart, but superb goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Estêvão and Jamie Gittens always suggested Chelsea had too much class.
Delap, introduced as a 60th-minute substitute, was booked for pushing Yerson Mosquera off the ball and then jumping into Emmanuel Agbadou as Wolves turned this into a fight. The teams meet again, in the league, at Stamford Bridge a week on Saturday. That should be fun.
Including Maresca’s dismissal for celebrating a late winner against Liverpool, Chelsea have had six red cards in their past nine games. “Yes, it’s embarrassing when it’s a red card like today, because it’s two yellow cards in seven minutes, he said. “But I think we can avoid that. So it’s not good.
“After the yellow card, I told him four or five times to keep calm. But Liam is a player that when he’s inside the pitch, he’ll be playing the game for himself and he struggles to realise and to listen around him.”
Admitting that his side panicked after Wolves made it 3-1, Maresca added: “It’s part of the journey of this team, this squad, that needs to grow up, to make experience to get better.”
Between them, the teams who had lost to last-minute winners at the weekend made 21 changes to their starting lineups. But whereas Chelsea’s shock home defeat by Sunderland ended a run of four victories, Wolves have two points in the league and now a cup exit. The second half, however, provided Vítor Pereira with some evidence his team could turn their season around.
“This is one of the best groups of players of my whole career,” the Wolves head coach said. “They have the spirit, the will and the character to change the situation.
“When I change 11 players, I take the risk because we have three games in very short time. It’s my responsibility to do it. I do it to give opportunities to players working hard in training and deserve the opportunity.
“So it’s very hard for them, when losing 3-0 at half-time, and to show the spirit, quality and physicality to score three goals in the second half, we show to the supporters that we can do it [avoid relegation] again. We just need a win to believe.”
When they went 3-0 behind, there was a combination of anger – chanting for the owners to go, with some suggesting their manager would be sacked in the morning, as per – and apathy. When Arokodare misplaced his layoff, Gittens skipped on to the loose ball before squaring for Santos to shoot home from the edge of the area.
Gittens was again the provider as he skinned Matt Doherty and crossed for George to convert from close range. Santos dispossessed Fer López, who had taken José Sà’s pass just outside his own area, and invited Estêvão to produce an audacious chip over the goalkeeper.
Within three minutes of the restart, however, with substitutes Marshall Munetsi and Ladislav Krejci adding muscularity to the Wolves midfield, Facuno Buonanotte was dispossessed in midfield and Hwang Hee-chan played in Arokodare who opened up his body and shoot home.
With 15 minutes remaining, Wolfe gave Wolves hope. From Mosquera’s long throw, there were flick-ons from Munetsi, Krejci and Emmanuel Agbadou before he arrived at the far post to angle home. His second followed from a similar position as Wolves tried mightily to save their pride, but only after Gittens had swerved a brilliant shot in off a post to make it 4-2.
