Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed his displeasure with Liam Delap after the forward was sent off during their hard-fought 4-3 victory over Wolves in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
Delap, 22, was making his first appearance since suffering an injury in August, but was sent off after picking up two cautions in seven minutes after coming on as a second half substitute.
The English striker came on in the 61st minute and was involved in a physical battle with the Wolves defense, picking up a first booking for a shove on Yerson Mosquera in the 79th minute.
He received another caution in the 86th minute after a battle with Emmanuel Agbadou, resulting in his dismissal.
The Blues held off a spirited fightback from the home side to claim a 4-3 victory, although Maresca did not hold back on his criticism of Delap after the match.
“Very stupid red card that was completely unnecessary,” said Maresca.
“Absolutely deserved. It was a stupid foul. We can avoid that. I completely support the red card.”
Chelsea raced into a three-goal lead inside the first half, following goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George and Estevao Willian.
Wolves scored twice in the second half, with Tolu Arokodare and David Moller Wolfe getting on the scoresheet.
Despite Delap’s sending off in the 86th minute, the impressive Jamie Gittens scored a fourth for the visitors.
Moller Wolfe grabbed his second of the night in stoppage time to set up a tense finish, although Chelsea held on for the win.
“It is embarrassing when it is a red card like today. It is embarrassing two cards in seven minutes, both we can avoid”, the Chelsea manager added.
“After the yellow card, I told him four or five times, keep calm. But Liam is a player inside the pitch, playing the game for himself and he struggles to listen to things around him.”
The Blues will travel to lower division side Cardiff City in the quarterfinals of the competition, scheduled to hold in December.
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