Liam Delap Reflects on Misstep During Chelsea’s FA Cup Victory

omidbasir- Liam Delap recently acknowledged, “I shouldn’t have waited,” following an unusual moment during Chelsea’s 4-0 victory over Hull City in the FA Cup.

In a perplexing scene, Delap celebrated prematurely when the ball hit the crossbar and bounced onto the goal line, mistakenly believing it to be a goal rather than capitalizing on the rebound.

The Chelsea forward blocked a clearance from Hull goalkeeper Dillon Phillips, and as the ball lingered above the goal line, Delap initially celebrated before appealing to the officials, underestimating the time available to secure the goal. He eventually refocused, but his follow-up attempt was saved by Phillips.

Legendary footballer Alan Shearer, who was commentating for BBC, expressed his confusion: “Goodness me, what is Delap doing? It seems as though he’s thinking, ‘I have all the time in the world.’ He ambles to it, takes his time—what is he waiting for?”

Shearer continued, “Liam Delap has not had a good four minutes. He has given it away twice and missed a clear opportunity. Delap has been poor tonight; his performances need to improve.”

After the match, Delap reflected, “I thought it went in, and then I was waiting for the ref to blow his whistle. Obviously, I shouldn’t have waited. It’s silly on my part, but it was a crazy moment.”

Despite the initial blunder, Shearer later commended Delap for his contributions, noting his three assists in the match, stating, “Delap recovered well from that start and has been instrumental in the win. He deserves a lot of credit for that.”

Chelsea’s coach, Liam Rosenior, emphasized the role of a striker in their system, saying, “To be a No. 9, especially in a system that we play, it’s not always about yourself. It’s about facilitating play for others and making sacrifice runs to create space.”

During the match, Delap has scored only twice in 23 appearances since joining Chelsea from Ipswich Town last summer. João Pedro has typically been favored as Chelsea’s main striker, but Delap was given a chance in a rotated squad for this FA Cup fixture.

In a first half that included his unusual goal line incident, Delap managed to complete a pass into the opposition half only by the 40th minute, which ultimately resulted in an assist for the first goal. The match concluded with a hat trick from Pedro Neto and a goal from Estêvão, securing Chelsea’s advancement in the tournament.