Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca felt his team’s 2-0 defeat to the Blues at Portman Road was a strange game which illustrated that the West Londoners lack the consistency to compete with the Premier League’s top sides at present.
Liam Delap, a player Maresca is known to covet, and ex-Chelsea forward Omari Hutchinson netted the goals which claimed Town’s first home win of the season.
"It was a bit of a strange game,” he reflected. "We created so many chances in the first half and in the first five or 10 minutes of the second half, we had two clear chances; the header from Joao [Felix] and another shot.
"Then I think the second goal killed the game a little bit. Sometimes when you create so many chances, the post, the VAR, the keeper saves or the defenders that block the shot, sometimes it has to go in that way.
"It's a shame because it was another chance for us but congratulations to them because probably when you save so many shots on the line, the goalkeeper, the body, the desire from them was very high.’"
He added: "We expected this kind of moment during the season because we know that this kind of moment belongs to football. It is almost impossible to have a season where you do not have a moment like now for us.”
Regarding man of the match Delap, who Maresca worked with during his time as development squad coach at Manchester City and who Chelsea are believed to be keeping close tabs on, the Italian said: "This is Liam. I know Liam from some time ago. Probably in some moments we can defend a bit better. But congratulations to him and to them.”
Maresca was asked what his centre-halves could have done better, having kept another physical striker, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in check when they drew 0-0 with Everton recently.
"I think Liam is a bit different to [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin in terms of skills,” he continued. "But I think first half we conceded a penalty and then we conceded one or two more chances in the same way; long ball for Liam, try to defend the ball and shoot.
"In the second half, it was copy and paste. Again, we conceded the goal because we unfortunately made a mistake. Then they had some more moments, exactly the same - a longer ball for Liam and he fights against everyone and shoots. This is Liam. Liam and Calvert-Lewin, I think they're a bit different.”
Regarding the spot-kick Delap won and scored in the first half which some of his team bitterly contested, he said: "They [the players] said it’s a bit soft but we have to accept it’s a penalty.”
Chelsea have dropped from second to fourth following a Christmas period which saw them draw with the Toffees and then lose at home to Fulham on Boxing Day.
"Not one of us in this room expected us to be where we are now,” Maresca insisted. "This means and shows that we are in the right direction, as I’ve said many times, but also shows that we are far from competing [with] consistency and to be there with the best teams in England.
"I think we [have] to be satisfied with where we are but at the same time we need to know we [can] do things better.”