Chelsea Striker Liam Delap Makes Feelings Clear About ‘Silly’ Open Goal Miss in 4–0 Win Over Hull City

Chelsea striker Liam Delap has struggled to find his feet since joining his current team from Ipswich Town last June. And he drew ire from Blues fans after missing a gilt-edged chance in his side’s recent 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Hull City.

Chelsea Ace Owns Up to Recent Error in Front of Goal

Earlier on Friday, Feb. 13, Delap was handed a start over in-form striker Joao Pedro against Hull, where he was earlier on loan. He failed to put the ball back into Hull’s net in the 23rd minute after blocking a clearance from Hull goalkeeper Dillon Phillips.

Delap, who arrived in a move worth over $40 million last summer, misjudged the trajectory of the ball, which hit the underside of the bar, and initially raised his arm to celebrate. After realizing his error, he collected the ball and had his subsequent shot saved.

Opining on his bizarre mistake after the end of the FA Cup victory, the 23-year-old Chelsea man told BBC One, “I swear on my life I almost ran off (the pitch). I thought it went in and then, I was waiting for the ref to blow his whistle. Obviously, I should have waited for the ref to blow his whistle. It’s silly from me but yeah, crazy.”

England and Newcastle United great Alan Shearer was critical of Delap’s mistake during the cup tie. He said on BBC One: “Goodness me. What is Delap doing? It is as if he is thinking, ‘I have all the time in the world’. He ambles to it and he takes his time. (He) has not had a good four minutes. He has given it away twice and missed a sitter now.”

In an act of redemption, Delap managed to finish the recent FA Cup win with three assists. The former Manchester City star registered two assists to Pedro Neto, who bagged his first Chelsea hat-trick, and one to teenager Estevao Willian in the second half.

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During a post-match press conference, Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior showered praise on Delap for helping his teammates out despite failing to score a goal himself.

“To be a number nine, especially in a system that we play, it’s not always about yourself. It is about bringing other people into play as well. It’s about sometimes making sacrifice runs so other players get the space,” the former Hull City manager commented.

So far this campaign, Delap has bagged two goals and recorded four assists in 24 matches across competitions, including 12 total starts, for the Stamford Bridge outfit.