Enzo Maresca tore into Liam Delap after the striker’s late red card nearly cost Chelsea their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Chelsea led 3-0 at half-time but allowed Wolves back into the game in a chaotic second half, eventually edging a 4-3 thriller to book a tie against Cardiff.
Delap, making his return from injury, was sent off just 20 minutes after coming on for two reckless challenges. “It’s embarrassing,” Maresca said. “After his first yellow I told him several times to calm down. He didn’t listen — he plays for himself sometimes. We have to grow up as a team.”
Despite goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Estêvão, and Jamie Gittens, Chelsea nearly threw it away as Wolves hit back through Tolu Arokodare and a brace from David Møller Wolfe.
Maresca admitted his young squad “panicked” after Wolves made it 3-1 but said the chaos was “part of the journey” for a developing side.
For Wolves boss Vítor Pereira, there were positives despite another defeat: “The spirit and fight they showed gives me belief we can turn this around,” he said.
