One of Chelsea’s star players has been criticized for his performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers, having had more touches than Robert Sanchez at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s final Premier League game before the November international break saw the Blues play Wolves, who are still winless in the top flight after 10 games.
Enzo Maresca’s side failed to capitalize on the chances they created in the first half against Wolves, frustrating the home supporters at Stamford Bridge. However, just after the half-time break, the Blues broke the deadlock.
Maro Gusto took the lead with his first goal as a senior just minutes into the second half. The lead was reduced to two just after the hour mark when João Pedro smashed Estevao’s deflected cross past Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
With less than 20 minutes remaining, Pedro Neto scored against his former club, putting the game out of doubt. With this victory, Chelsea moved up to second place. However, one Blues player was criticized for his performance against a relegation-threatened side.
Delap failed to mark against Wolves
Liam Delap, signed from Ipswich Town in the summer, has endured a difficult start to his time at Chelsea. The injury ruled him out for several weeks before the start of the 2025/26 season, and he missed almost two months. After his return, Delap came off the bench in the Carabao Cup match against Wolves and was sent off for accumulating two yellow cards.
Delap, reportedly on a £100,000-a-week deal, made his first start for Chelsea after returning from injury against the Old Gold, but failed to make an impact. Simon Johnson, who works for The Athletic, was critical of the striker’s performance, noting that he had not shown up to match fitness and was “struggling”.
According to SofaScore, Delap had only one shot on target in the first 64 minutes of the game. He had less time on the ball than Sanchez, as he was stripped three times and had just 15 touches a game.
Delap is still a young player and a player coming back from a relatively long setback. However, his performance against Wolves may not be at the level he can consistently perform going forward.