Chelsea flop who lost the ball 23x must be dropped after Pafos

Chelsea have taken a decent step towards automatic UEFA Champions League qualification, after securing a 1-0 win over Pafos FC at Stamford Bridge last night.

Moises Caicedo’s header just over ten minutes from time was enough to secure all three points for the Blues, but boss Liam Rosenior will no doubt be disappointed by his side’s showing.

His men had 71% of possession in West London, subsequently registering 21 shots in the process, but were only able to find the back of the net once against the Greek outfit.

They also missed four big chances in front of goal, with Caicedo’s solitary goal the only one the Blues were able to take advantage of during the clash on home soil.

However, one player massively failed to deliver during last night’s triumph, which could leave Rosenior with a huge call to make ahead of their return to Premier League action.

Liam Delap’s performance for Chelsea against Pafos

After starting on the bench in each of Rosenior’s first two games in charge of Chelsea, striker Liam Delap was handed the perfect opportunity to stake his claim for a regular starting role.

The 22-year-old has endured a stop-start period of his career in West London, with injuries often plaguing his progress in the first-team over the last few months.

However, despite the faith shown in him by the new boss on Wednesday night, it was a night to forget for the forward, with his underlying figures showcasing how dismal his performance was.

Delap featured for 70 minutes before being replaced by Joao Pedro, with the Englishman only registering 12 touches of the ball during his time on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.

He also only managed to complete seven passes, whilst registering just one of his touches in the opposition box – subsequently failing to deliver the focal point that the manager craves.

The striker’s struggles were further highlighted by his tally of just two duels won, with the opposition managing to neutralise the threat he posed during the clash.

The Chelsea star who needs to be dropped after Pafos

As previously mentioned, the Chelsea attacking department massively struggled to provide the goods in the Champions League despite securing all three points.

Winger Alejandro Garnacho was another player who was withdrawn alongside Delap in the 70th minute, with the Argentine once again struggling to live up to his £40m transfer fee.

The 21-year-old was part of the reason the Blues were unable to add to their goal tally during the triumph, subsequently missing two big chances during his time on the pitch.

However, another one of the club’s attackers was hugely disappointing against Pafos, with fellow winger Pedro Neto also unable to take advantage of the starting handed his way.

The Portuguese international was handed his fourth start of 2026, but as he has in many of his previous outings, he’s struggled to provide the goods within the final third.

He failed to score for the third consecutive match, but it was his underlying figures that showcased his poor performance when in possession in attacking areas.

Neto registered three efforts from outside of the box, but none of which troubled the opposition goalkeeper, as only one of which was on target – but it was straight at Jay Gorter.

The winger also failed to create any chances for his teammates, something which may come as a surprise given the amount of balls he played into the 18-yard box.

He attempted a staggering 15 crosses during the victory, but not one of which found a teammate in Blue – which sums up his lack of quality in the final third.

As a result, Neto gave possession away a staggering 23 times, with such a tally by far and away the highest of any Blues player who started the contest.

Following his performance, the former Wolves star was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by The Express’ Bobby Vincent – further showcasing his struggles once again.

As a result of his performance, Rosenior desperately needs to drop the attacker from his starting eleven, with the winger needing a break to rediscover his best form.

He and Delap ultimately failed to take advantage of the opportunity handed their way, with changes needing to be made if the side are to be more convincing against Crystal Palace on Sunday.