Liam Delap labelled a 'thug' as Chelsea striker is shown red card for two brainless bookings in seven minutes on return from injury against Wolves as Blues' disciplinary woes deepen

Chelsea were ruthless in the opening 45 minutes against Wolves on Wednesday night. Andrey Santos had settled nerves early on before Tyrique George doubled their advantage in the 15th minute. Estevao then added a third shortly before the break as Chelsea sought to wrap up the tie early on.

However, Wolves had threatened in the first half and they pulled one back through Tolu Arokodare three minutes after the break. David Moller Wolfe scored a second for Vitor Pereira's side with 15 minutes to play but their hard work was undone by Jamie Gittens with a thumping 89th-minute strike to restore Chelsea's two-goal advantage.

Moller Wolfe scored his second and Wolves' third in injury time but it was too little, too late for the Midlands side as they bowed out of the Carabao Cup despite a spirited fightback. While Chelsea will have been happy to progress in the competition, it was an incident in the second half from a returning payer that drew the ire of supporters.

Liam Delap was introduced for Estevao on the hour mark to mark his first appearance since a brief outing against Fulham back in August. Delap signed for Chelsea from Ipswich over the summer, picking the west London side ahead of Manchester United.

Delap, though, looked short of match fitness and was booked in the 79th minute at Molineux. And seven minutes later, the striker was given his marching orders for a clumsy challenge on Wolves centre-back Emmanuel Agbadou as Chelsea were reduced to 10 men. Incredibly, this was Chelsea's fifth red card in the last nine games.

While Delap's dismissal didn't cost Chelsea a spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup, fans were quick to criticise the 22-year-old after an abysmal showing from the bench.

One Chelsea fan took to X to criticise Delap shortly after his red card, posting: "I think it’s time we realise Delap has no footballing ability and is just a thug"

A second added: "Liam Delap is more interested in wrestling than playing football and this sh*t is going to get real old real fast"

A third, meanwhile, drew comparisons with Nicolas Jackson and his red card at Newcastle last season, stating: "Liam Delap with a red card we cussed Nicolas Jackson for doing months ago. Shame on you"

However, another supporter stood up for Delap, posting: "Liam Delap red card was reckless but I don't blame him.. For the first yellow, it happens opponent can say something that gets you angry and the second was just a payback and that referee was just giving cards for everything fuck*n' thing."

One also pointed out that Enzo Maresca was furious with the striker: "Enzo Maresca was really angry with Liam Delap. Very useless red card to concede. Thank God for Gittens' goal!"

Chelsea have endured a series of disciplinary issues over the course of the season. Delap's red card was the Blues' fifth in all competitions this season, while Jackson was dismissed against Fluminense at the Club World Cup prior to his move to Bayern Munich.

Robert Sanchez received Chelsea's first red card of the season in September, a dismissal that proved costly as the Blues fell to a 2-1 loss to Manchester United. Trevoh Chalobah was then sent off a week later as the west London side threw away a one-goal lead to lose 3-1 against Brighton at Stamford Bridge.

While subsequent reds for Joao Pedro, Malo Gusto and Delap against Benfica, Nottingham Forest and Wolves, respectively, didn't impact the final result, the lack of discipline is a concern for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca has admitted that he is worried by the high number of red cards but earlier this month insisted he'll never punish his players for a dismissal.

"I’m not that kind of manager to punish players," Maresca said. "I don’t think it’s the right way to do things. I prefer to help them to understand, and then do the right things. They are all different kinds of red cards, but if you concede four or five it’s something that we have to improve."

Chelsea will look to follow up their 4-3 win at Wolves with another victory at Tottenham on Saturday. Spurs, meanwhile, fell to a 2-0 loss at Newcastle as the Magpies eased into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.