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Chelsea took their decision to prove they are not in the title race to a new level with a shocker on Monday 2-0 defeat at Ipswich Town.
The Blues never looked back after Liam Delap’s controversial first-half penalty and things got worse when former Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson headed home a second to hand Enzo Maresca’s side a second successive defeat.
How the game unfolded
Ipswich started bravely and were rewarded for their confidence within ten minutes. A rampaging Filip Jorgensen was deemed to have caught Delap as he came out for the ball and was awarded a penalty, and the striker made no mistake from 12 yards.
Jorgensen quickly denied Delap, before Cole Palmer almost tied things up with a smart free kick. The Chelsea talisman saw his effort crash back off the post, and Christopher Nkunku could not convert the rebound and instead sent his effort over to Christian Walton.
Chelsea thought they had equalized in the 24th minute as Felix Palmer got in at the back post to head home a cross, but a two-minute VAR check eventually saw the Portugal international get past the last defender.
Marc Cucurella crashed wide and Moises Caicedo rose as Chelsea began to take control of proceedings, and as the clock ticked into first-half stoppage time, Palmer drew an acrobatic save from Walton, who was relieved to see his side ahead at the break. was
The second half started the same way. Chelsea went ahead immediately and Felix saw a header by Wes Burns cleared off the line.
A woeful pass from Axel Disassi gave former Blue Hutchinson the chance to double their lead against the run of play. The Frenchman sent Delap racing through and a delightful strike into the bottom corner after a smart pass to Hutchinson.
Nicholas Jackson was spared a blush as a late offside flag excused his one-on-one miss. It was one of the very few instances that Chelsea actually managed a clear sight of goal, with Ipswich happy to defend and frustrate the visitors to secure all three points.
2-0 is a scoreline that certainly flatters Ipswich, but the hosts undoubtedly had the better chances of the game and were good value for the three points.
For Chelsea, it was another example of their inability to break down a stubborn defence. Everton were determined to frustrate the Blues, Fulham did just that and Ipswich were clearly watching as they perfected their defensive strategy en route to victory.
Chelsea need to find more sources of creativity. They looked wide and empty in midfield, where Cole Palmer struggled to command the impact he had earlier in the season. Maresca needs to change something to reignite this side.
In his two years at Chelsea, Hutchinson logged a total of 49 minutes before the Blues opted to part ways with the attacking midfielder permanently last summer.
Hutchinson wanted first-team football when his loan with Ipswich closed last season. Kieran McKenna promised to give him what he needed this season, and the rewards were clear to see here.
In games like these, big names on smaller teams often don’t get many moments to shine. Hutchinson may have only had one but, with a delightfully fizzing effort, he made sure to grab it with both hands.
From the opening seconds, Liam Delap set out to make an impact. He went shoulder-to-shoulder with Tosin Adarabio and was more than happy to use his body to create problems.
While it may have been a soft penalty, there was no doubt about the finish. Delap’s strike was devastatingly accurate, with Jørgensen predicting where it was going even as it crashed into the bottom corner.
Enzo Maresca did not hide his admiration for Delap Ahead of the game, and his impression of the Leicester striker would only grow here as the young striker ran and ran and ran, bullying the Chelsea defenders and doing everything he could to inspire a famous victory.
Maresca mixed up his starting lineup here, bringing Jorgensen, Joao Felix and Christopher Naccu into his usual Premier League group.
It was a nightmare start for Jorgensen after conceding a penalty, but there’s no denying it was soft. He did his best to atone for that and even pulled off a series of smart saves to try and redeem himself.
Felix pushed himself forward but struggled to break down Ipswich’s stubborn defence, which was more than could be said for Nkunku. The stand-in forward was barely involved in the action and certainly didn’t do his chances of replacing Nicholas Jackson any favors.
Chelsea had three right-backs on the substitutes’ bench. Reece James returned from injury and sat alongside both Malo Gusto and youngster Josh Achampong, while centre-back Axel Disassi was surprisingly allowed on the right side of Maresca’s defence.
On numerous occasions this season, Disassi’s lackluster performances have drawn criticism from fans, and his poor pass that invited Liam Delap to the forward for the second goal did him no favours.
It’s been a while since Chelsea looked settled at right-back. Maresca is finally waiting for James to finally overcome these injury issues and establish himself as a reliable starter.
