Chelsea are now in the middle of their worst run of the season after a shock away defeat at Ipswich Town on Monday night.
Chelsea signed off for 2024 in horrible fashion, suffering a 2-0 loss away to Ipswich in the Premier League. It means that the Blues have dropped down to fourth in the division table after results in the past couple of days.
Liam Delap put the hosts in front in the 12th minute with his penalty kick. However, Chelsea fans were furious with the penalty decision because it looked extremely soft and there was minimal contact.
Afterwards, Omari Hutchinson doubled Ipswich’s advantage early in the second half, scoring against the club that sold him in the summer.
What Cole Palmer did before Liam Delap’s penalty
Journalist Simon Johnson shared via X something very interesting that he spotted from Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer during Monday night’s fixture at Portman Road.
Apparently, Palmer told goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen which way to dive for Delap’s spot-kick, which is advice that almost worked perfectly. However, the Ipswich striker converted his first-half penalty with a powerful strike, even after the keeper dived the correct way.
Palmer and Delap were previously teammates together at Manchester City, where they came through their academy system. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the Chelsea star guessed correctly which way the Ipswich frontman would go with his penalty tonight.
Transfermarkt records that Delap and Palmer have played 33 games together across various teams in the Man City academy, plus with England’s Under-21s side. They’ve directly combined in attack for eight goals, too.
Could Liam Delap reunite with Cole Palmer at Chelsea?
It’s been claimed earlier this month that Chelsea have opened talks about signing Ipswich’s Delap. If Monday night was an audition, he passed it with flying colours.
On top of that, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca called Ipswich striker Delap “fantastic”, which he proved with his goal and assist against the Blues.
The 21-year-old forward was aggressive and tireless with his work rate without the ball to distrust the Chelsea defenders. Also, he showed his technical skill in the moments he had possession.
It’s now seven goals in 18 Premier League appearances for him this season, so the young English centre-forward is proving he belongs in the top flight.
The way he’s been playing it looks like he’s destined for a huge transfer at some stage. For the right price, he would make sense as an addition to Chelsea in 2025.
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