‘Just retire’ – Chelsea fans slam ‘disgrace to football’ starter after Bournemouth horror show
Chelsea fans have laid into Liam Delap on social media for his latest lacklustre showing in their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Delap was handed a start in attack over Joao Pedro as the Blues aimed to return to winning ways on home turf in their final match of 2025.
A frantic opening half-hour saw four goals scored as Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez struck in between an opener from David Brooks and a leveller from Justin Kluivert.
Chelsea drew 2-2 with an out-of-form Cherries side at Stamford Bridge to mount the pressure on Enzo Maresca amid uncertainty over his future in charge.
Numerous players gave a good account of themselves, despite the draw, but Delap was not one of those, as his run without scoring in the Premier League for the Blues continued.
Delap was poor against Bournemouth amid scoring struggles
Delap extended his Chelsea record to just two goals scored in 19 appearances for the club since his summer move from Ipswich Town, with no strikes in 10 Premier League games as yet.
It was his first start since a 3-1 loss to Leeds United on 3 December, and his rustiness showed as he failed to have any sort of meaningful impact on proceedings.
The 22-year-old did not test Djordje Petrovic as two of his shots were blocked, while he missed a big chance with a header that was crashed wide just after the interval.
He committed two fouls and had 71 per cent pass accuracy, as well as winning just six of his 13 duels all evening.
Pedro even had as many touches as the Englishman in the Bournemouth area (5), despite only being on the pitch from the 63rd minute onwards.
Delap was ripped into by Chelsea fans online after Bournemouth showing
Delap was taken off on Tuesday night in the 87th minute, and he certainly did not help his prospects of starting games more regularly over Pedro in the near future.
Many Chelsea fans flocked to X to share their opinion of his performance, as it was made clear just how disappointed they were, and have been all season, with the lack of impact he has had.
One supporter said: “Whoever watched Liam Delap and decided he was who Chelsea FC needed to win us trophies and compete across Europe deserves to be jailed.”
Another added: “I don’t see Liam Delap having a long Chelsea career. He just doesn’t have it I’m afraid.”
While one fan wrote: “Chants to Liam Delap: ‘What a waste of money.’ Can’t even disagree.”