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10-man Chelsea were made to breathe a sigh of relief after sealing their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 4-3 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
Chelsea were 3-0 up by half-time after goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, and Estevao, and looked assured of their place in the next round.
Wolves, though, scored twice after the restart through Tolu Arokodare and David Moller Wolfe before substitute Liam Delap was sent off in the 86th minute after two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes.
Jamie Gittens looked to have settled the game with a thunderous volley to restore Chelsea’s two-goal lead, but Moller Wolfe replied almost immediately to set up a nervy finish.
Here are three things Standard Sport learned from Chelsea’s victory...
Delap’s red highlights ‘embarrassing’ disciplinary record
Delap endured a nightmare return to action as he was sent off following two yellow cards in the space of seven second-half minutes.
The 22-year-old, who has been out since the end of August with a hamstring injury, was introduced in the 61st minute but was given his marching orders just 25 minutes later after two needless fouls on Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
It’s been a frustrating start to life at Chelsea for Delap, and his dismissal, which Maresca described as “stupid” means he will now miss the Blues’ trip to Tottenham on Saturday.
Maresca has previously claimed the Blues don’t have a discipline issue, but after Delap’s dismissal, their sixth red card in nine games, including the Italian’s own sending off against Liverpool, he admitted his side’s disciplinary record was becoming embarrassing.
The needless nature of Delap’s sending off mirrored the two yellows Malo Gusto received during the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, and Maresca’s young side need to learn to manage their emotions better if they are to make good on their undoubted potential.
As they showed in a scintillating first half performance, Chelsea have the ability to challenge for major silverware this season.
However, as they have shown on numerous occasions already this term, they can not help but make life difficult for themselves with their impetuousness.
Chelsea continue to be the architects of their own downfall
The west Londoners just about held on to seal their place in the quarter-finals, but they could have made it so much easier for themselves.
The Blues were coasting at half-time, three goals up and seemingly with one foot in the next round, as they picked apart Wolves’ defence with ease.
This, though, was a game of two halves, and Chelsea gifted Wolves a route back into the game, putting themselves under needless pressure, with Facundo Buonanotte surrendering possession to allow Arokodare to score.
Arokodare’s goal gave Wolves confidence, and they grabbed another through Moller Wolfe to turn what had been a comfortable night for Chelsea into a backs-against-the-wall performance.
Delap’s sending off for two needless fouls only added to the pressure Chelsea had brought upon themselves, and while they eventually held on for the win, they were lucky to escape unscathed from a game they had at one point completely dominated.
Unforced errors and reckless lapses in judgment have become a theme of Chelsea’s start to the season.
If they are to push on under Maresca’s guidance, they need to wise up and quickly.
Gittens takes his chance
After a slow start to his Chelsea career, Gittens provided a statement performance this evening.
Gittens has struggled for consistent minutes since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, but didn’t look at all off the pace as he tore into Wolves’ backline with a ferocious performance.
Tonight was an opportunity for the 21-year-old, and he made sure to use it, setting up Chelsea’s opening goal by nicking in ahead of Arokodare to open up the space for Santos to fire the Blues into the lead.
10 minutes later, he had another assist to his name, this time beating his man before crossing for George to tap home. Chelsea were relentless, and Gittens was at the heart of making Maresca’s side tick.
Competition for minutes on the wing is fierce, with goalscorer at the weekend, Alejandro Garnacho, not even travelling with the side to Molineux.
Gittens, though, will have certainly played his way into contention for more minutes after a dazzling performance here.
