FURIOUS Enzo Maresca let rip at Liam Delap for his “embarrassing” and “very stupid” red card.
Delap, 22, was booked twice within seven minutes on his return to action after ten weeks out with a hamstring injury.
The striker only came on for Estevao in the 61st minute during Wednesday’s 4-3 Carabao Cup win away at Wolves.
But he saw yellow cards in the 79th and 86th – taking Chelsea’s shocking disciplinary record to SIX red cards this season, including Maresca’s against Liverpool.
And the manager launched a blistering attack on his £30million summer signing, who will miss Saturday’s trip to rivals Tottenham through suspension.
Asked if Delap deserved to be sent off, Maresca – whose side nearly surrendered a 3-0 lead – fumed: “Absolutely, yes. Stupid foul. We can avoid that.
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“The three goals we conceded, I think all of them we can avoid. For sure, we also had a very stupid red card that was completely unnecessary.
Delap lost his head after the frustration of being sidelined since August.
After the Chelsea No9 was shown a first yellow card for an off-the-ball tussle with Yerson Mosquera, Maresca tried to warn him to keep a lid on it.
But the ex-Ipswich man soon tangled with Emmanuel Agbadou and the Blues boss added: “After the first yellow card I told him [Delap] four or five times to keep calm.
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“But Liam is a player who, when he’s on the pitch, is probably playing the game for himself and struggles to realise and listen to those around him.
“It’s embarrassing when it’s a red card like this.
“Because it’s two yellow cards in, I don’t know, seven minutes. Both, I think, we can avoid. So it’s not good.
“I completely understand when there are red cards like Brighton [Trevoh Chalobah] or Manchester United [Robert Sanchez] that is difficult, but the red cards against Nottingham Forest [Malo Gusto] and Wolves, both we can and have to avoid.”
The string of dismissals have come within Chelsea’s last nine matches.
The Blues will face Cardiff away in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
They sit 11th in the Champions League league phase – on six points alongside the likes of Newcastle, Barcelona and Liverpool – and ninth in the Premier League following Saturday’s surprise defeat to Sunderland.
Maresca’s side face Spurs, Barcelona and Arsenal in a crunch November schedule.
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