In Chelsea’s dominant 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Hull City on February 13, 2026, Delap was at the center of a bizarre and much-discussed incident early in the game — one that saw him prematurely celebrate what he believed was the opening goal, only for it to be correctly ruled out.
The moment unfolded around the 21-minute mark. Hull goalkeeper Dillon Phillips mishit a clearance under pressure from Delap, with the ball deflecting off the Chelsea striker’s leg, looping up, and crashing off the underside of the crossbar. It then bounced down onto the goal line — but crucially, goal-line technology (and TV replays) confirmed the entire ball had not fully crossed the line. A tiny fraction remained on or just over the line, but not enough to award a goal under the strict “whole of the ball over the whole of the line” rule.
Delap, convinced it had gone in, raised his arm in celebration and appealed to referee Farai Hallam, waiting for the whistle. By the time he realized the mistake, he ambled over to collect the loose ball and tried to shoot — but Phillips had recovered brilliantly to block the effort. Commentators, including Alan Shearer on BBC duty, were stunned, with Shearer calling it a “goodness me” moment and criticizing Delap for not urgently tapping in the rebound instead of protesting.
Post-match, Delap himself admitted the error with good humor: “I swear, I almost ran off, I thought it went in… I was waiting for the ref to blow his whistle. Obviously, I should have just put it in a second time, but yeah, crazy. We had a look — it’s like two inches, if that, from going over the line. It was silly from me, but I thought it went in.” He described it as a learning moment, emphasizing he should have played to the whistle.
Despite the early frustration, Delap bounced back impressively. He provided three assists in the match (a hat-trick of assists), helping Chelsea cruise through with goals from Pedro Neto and others. The Blues’ performance was clinical overall, but this non-goal became the talking point, sparking memes, debates, and claims of controversy online.
Some fans and clips circulating suggested the ball had “fully crossed” or touched the touchline in a way that warranted a goal, fueling outrage over officials “ignoring” replays. However, multiple reports — from BBC, talkSPORT, Daily Mail, and others — consistently state the technology proved it hadn’t crossed completely. No VAR overrule was needed because the on-field decision (no goal) was correct. Claims of a “shocking” ruling appear to stem from misleading angles or premature celebrations making it look closer than it was.
This echoes Delap’s previous viral miss (hitting the crossbar and celebrating too soon), but here the fine margin was even tighter. Football’s fine lines strike again — a couple of inches from glory or infamy. For Delap, it’s another chapter in his adaptation at Chelsea: raw talent, physicality, and now redemption through assists after a self-admitted “stupid” lapse.
The result sends Chelsea into the fifth round, while Hull can reflect on a spirited but ultimately outclassed display against their former loanee. Social media remains split — some furious at the “robbed” feeling, others laughing at the comedy of errors. Either way, it’s cemented as one of the FA Cup’s standout talking points this round.
