Ipswich 2-0 Chelsea: Match report and talking points from crushing Blues defeat | OneFootball

Chelsea took their determination to prove they are not in a title race to a new level on Monday with a shocking 2-0 defeat away at Ipswich Town.

The Blues never looked themselves after Liam Delap netted a controversial first-half penalty, and things went from bad to worse when former Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson slotted home a second to hand Enzo Maresca's side a second consecutive defeat.

Ipswich made a brave start and were rewarded for their confidence ten minutes in. The onrushing Filip Jorgensen was deemed to have caught Delap as he came out for the ball and a penalty was awarded, and the striker made no mistake from 12 yards.

Jorgensen did well to deny Delap soon after, before Cole Palmer nearly tied things up with a smart free kick. Chelsea's talisman watched his effort crash back off the post, and Christopher Nkunku could not convert the rebound and instead sent his effort right at the grateful Christian Walton.

Chelsea thought their equaliser had arrived in the 24th minute as Felix crept in at the back post to tap home a Palmer cross, but a two-minute VAR check ultimately spotted the Portugal international beyond the last defender.

Marc Cucurella crashed wide and Moises Caicedo blazed over as Chelsea began to take control of proceedings, and as the clock ticked over into 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 began in the same fashion. Chelsea advanced immediately and Felix saw a header cleared off the line by Wes Burns.

A woeful pass from Axel Disasi gifted former Blue Hutchinson the chance to double their lead against the run of play. The Frenchman sent Delap racing through and a smart pass to Hutchinson was followed by a delightful strike into the bottom corner.

Nicolas Jackson's blushes were spared as a late offside flag excused his one-on-one miss. It was one of very few examples of Chelsea actually managing a clear sight of goal, with Ipswich happy to defend and frustrate the visitors to secure all three points.

Chelsea fail to inspire

Questions for Maresca to answer / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

2-0 is a scoreline which definitely flattered Ipswich, but the hosts undoubtedly had the better chances of the game and were good value for the three points.

For Chelsea, this was yet another example of their inability to break down a stubborn defence. Everton stood firm to frustrate the Blues, Fulham did the same and Ipswich were clearly watching as they perfected their defensive strategy en route to victory.

Chelsea need to find more sources of creativity. They have looked stagnant out wide and empty in midfield, where Cole Palmer has struggled to command the influence he boasted earlier in the season. Maresca needs to change something to reignite this side.

Hutchinson caught the eye / GLYN KIRK/GettyImages

In his two years at Chelsea, Hutchinson was afforded a total of 49 minutes before the Blues opted to part ways with the attacking midfielder permanently last summer.

Hutchinson wanted first-team football when his loan with Ipswich last season came to a close. Kieran McKenna pledged to give him what he wanted this season, and the rewards were clear to see here.

In games like this, the big names on the smaller teams don't often get too many moments to stand out. Hutchinson perhaps only had one but, with a delightful fizzing effort, he made sure to grasp it with both hands.

Liam Delap passes his audition

Delap was a constant menace / Michael Regan/GettyImages

From the opening second, Liam Delap set about making an impact. He went shoulder-to-shoulder with Tosin Adarabioyo and was more than happy to use his body to cause problems.

While it might have been a soft penalty, there was no doubt about the finish. Delap's strike was devastatingly accurate, crashing into the bottom corner even though Jorgensen guessed where he was going.

Enzo Maresca did not hide his appreciation for Delap ahead of the game, and his impression of the Leicester striker will only have grown here as the young striker ran and ran and ran, bullying the Chelsea defenders and doing everything he could to inspire a famous win.

Chelsea fringe players fail to impress

Nkunku failed to stand out / Molly Darlington - AMA/GettyImages

Maresca mixed up his starting lineup here, bringing in Jorgensen, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku to his usual Premier League group.

It was a nightmare start for Jorgensen after conceding a penalty, but there's no denying it was soft. He did his best to atone for it and even pulled out a series of smart saves to try and redeem himself.

Felix put himself about but struggled to break Ipswich's stubborn defence down, which was more than could be said about Nkunku. The stand-in forward was hardly involved in proceedings and has definitely not done his chances of replacing Nicolas Jackson any favours.

Disasi made a costly error / Michael Regan/GettyImages

Chelsea's substitutes bench featured three right-backs. Reece James was back from injury and sat alongside both Malo Gusto and young Josh Acheampong, while centre-back Axel Disasi was surprisingly given the nod on the right of Maresca's defence.

On a number of occasions this season, Disasi's underwhelming performances have attracted criticism from fans, and his poor pass which invited Liam Delap forwards for the second goal did him no favours.

It's been a while since Chelsea looked stable at right-back. Maresca is desperately waiting for James to finally shake these injury issues and establish himself as a reliable starter.