Chelsea took their determination to prove they are not in the title race to a new level with Monday’s shocker A 2-0 defeat away to Ipswich Town.
The Blues never got a good look after Liam Delap’s controversial first-half penalty and things went from bad to worse when former Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson scored the second to hand Enzo Maresca’s side a second straight defeat.
How the match unfolded
Ipswich started bravely and were rewarded for their confidence on ten minutes. The chasing Filip Jorgensen was deemed to have caught Delap as he came out for the ball and a penalty was awarded, the striker making no mistake from 12 yards.
Jorgensen did well to deny Delap soon after, before Cole Palmer almost equalized with a clever free-kick. Chelsea’s talisman watched his effort crash against the post, with Christopher Nkunku unable to convert the rebound and instead sending his effort straight at a grateful Christian Walton.
Chelsea thought their equalizer had arrived in the 24th minute when Felix crept in at the back post to head home Palmer’s cross, but a two-minute VAR check eventually spotted the Portugal international beyond the rearguard.
Marc Cucurella scored and Moises Caicedo blazed over as Chelsea began to take control of proceedings, and with the clock ticking down in first-half stoppage time, Palmer drew an acrobatic save from Walton, who was relieved to see his side ahead at the break.
The second half started in the same way. Chelsea went ahead immediately and Felix saw Wes Burns’ header cleared off the line.
A poor pass from Axel Disasi gave the former Blue Hutchinson a chance to double their lead on the run of play. The Frenchman sent Delap on a run, and a clever pass from Hutchinson was followed by a wonderful shot into the bottom corner.
Nicolas Jackson was spared red as a late offside flag justified his one-on-one miss. It was one of the few instances of Chelsea getting a clear sight of goal, with Ipswich happily defending and frustrating the visitors to secure all three points.
2-0 is a result that definitely flattered Ipswich, but the hosts undoubtedly had the better chances in 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 stood firm to frustrate the Blues, Fulham did the same and Ipswich clearly watched as they perfected their defensive strategy en route to victory.
Chelsea need to find more sources of creativity. They looked stagnant and empty in midfield, where Cole Palmer struggled to make the impact he boasted earlier in the season. Maresca needs to change something to reignite this side.
In his two years at Chelsea, Hutchinson got a total of 49 minutes before the Blues decided to part ways with the attacking midfielder for good last summer.
Hutchinson wanted to play in the first team when his loan spell with Ipswich ended last season. Kieran McKenna promised to give him what he wanted this season and the rewards were clear.
In games like this, big names in smaller teams often don’t get many moments to stand out. Hutchinson may have had only one but, with a wonderful burst of effort, he made sure to grab it with both hands.
From the first second, Liam Delap started with the performance. He went shoulder to shoulder with Tosina Adarabioyo and was more than happy to use his body to cause trouble.
Although it may have been a light penalty, there was no doubt about the finish. Delap’s shot was devastatingly accurate, curling into the bottom corner even though Jorgensen guessed where it was going.
Enzo Maresca did not hide his appreciation for Delap ahead of the game, and his impression of the Leicester forward will only grow here as the young striker ran and ran and ran, harassing the Chelsea defenders and doing everything he could to inspire a famous victory.
Maresca mixed up his starting line-up here, bringing Jorgensen, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku into his usual Premier League group.
It was a nightmare start for Jorgensen after he conceded a penalty, but there’s no denying it was soft. He did his best to make up for it and even pulled off a number of clever saves to try and redeem himself.
Felix exposed himself but struggled to break down Ipswich’s stubborn defence, which was more than could be said for Nkunka. The backup forward was barely involved in proceedings and definitely did his prospects to replace Nicolas Jackson no favors.
Chelsea’s substitute bench contained three right-backs. Reece James returned from injury and sat alongside Malo Gust and youngster Josh Acheampong, while centre-back Axel Disasi was surprisingly given the upper hand on the right side of Maresca’s defence.
On several occasions this season, Disasi’s poor performances have drawn criticism from the fans, and his poor pass that invited Liam Delap forward for the second goal did him no favours.
It’s been a while since Chelsea looked stable at right-back. Maresca is desperate for James to finally overcome these injury problems and establish himself as a reliable starter.
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