Liam Delap Stars as Ipswich Beat Chelsea to Hand Blues a Reality Check

 

Liam Delap Stars as Ipswich Beat Chelsea to Hand Blues a Reality Check

Liam Delap’s exceptional performance helped Ipswich secure their first home win of the season, as Chelsea’s title hopes took another blow. The 21-year-old striker opened the scoring with a 12th-minute penalty and then set up Omari Hutchinson for Ipswich's second goal early in the second half, sealing a 2-0 victory that puts them just one point behind Wolves in the Premier League standings.

Despite dominating possession, Chelsea were wasteful in front of goal, and a VAR review ruled out a first-half equalizer by Joao Felix for offside. Earlier, Delap had earned a penalty after being fouled by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, with VAR confirming “sufficient contact.” Delap made no mistake from the spot, and soon after, he capitalized on a poor back pass from Axel Disasi to assist Hutchinson for Ipswich's second goal.

Ipswich’s win moves them up to 18th, above Leicester City, as they continue their fight to escape the relegation zone. Chelsea, on the other hand, have now lost two consecutive matches, following their 0-0 draw at Everton, and remain fourth in the table, 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool. With the pace-setters having a game in hand, Chelsea’s hopes of sustaining a title challenge are looking increasingly slim.

Delap’s performance was perhaps the biggest surprise of the match, as the best forward on the pitch played for Ipswich. Amid growing transfer rumors linking him to Chelsea and other top clubs, Delap impressed with his work rate, holding off Chelsea centre-backs Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo, and creating several chances that were saved by Jorgensen. His ability to hold up the ball and threaten on the counter-attack stood out, with Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna praising his development. “His rate of improvement for a young player is really high,” McKenna said. “He’s playing incredible Premier League defenders every week.”

With performances like this, McKenna may struggle to keep Delap at Ipswich, even though the striker was only signed from Manchester City in the summer. In addition to Delap’s standout play, Hutchinson and Nathan Broadhead also impressed, making it clear that Ipswich had the top performers on the pitch.

For Chelsea, this match was a harsh reality check. The Blues have now scored just once in their last three matches, and their title aspirations are fading fast. Head coach Enzo Maresca, who had previously stated that his side was not yet ready to win the league, stood by his comments. “We know this kind of moment belongs to football,” he said, acknowledging that setbacks are part of the season. “We are in the right direction, but also far from competing with the best teams in England.”

Maresca's focus will now likely shift to securing a Champions League spot, but Chelsea must address their physical struggles, particularly after being outrun and outbattled by Ipswich. The busy Christmas period has leveled the playing field for Chelsea’s opponents, and key players like Cole Palmer and Moisés Caicedo have been unable to be rested. Despite rotating his squad, Chelsea’s lack of physicality was evident, and attacking substitutes Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, and Jadon Sancho made little impact in a feisty finish to the match. With several yellow cards in the final moments, Chelsea’s frustrations boiled over as they slumped to their second consecutive defeat.