More than 200 days after completing his move from Ipswich Town, is Liam Delap finally finding his feet at Chelsea?

One of the most significant moments of Delap’s Stamford Bridge career so far came early in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August, when he pulled up, grimacing, with the hamstring injury that would rule him out for two months. He will hope the reverse fixture on Wednesday, though overshadowed by a 2-1 defeat, will also be a turning point in his story at this club.

Delap’s Chelsea career has not started as anyone hoped. When he swivelled and fired home Chelsea’s then-equaliser in the 72nd minute at Craven Cottage, it ended an 18-game run without a goal for him in the Premier League — stretching back to scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers for Ipswich in April. It is his second goal outside of the Club World Cup for Chelsea, adding to one scored in the 3-0 Champions League win against Barcelona in November.

Delap’s absence throughout September and October as he recovered from that hamstring injury, followed by another layoff with a shoulder problem in December, has meant he has not put together any consistent form. Until Wednesday he had yet to complete a full match this season.

For a striker who shone for relegated Ipswich last season, and who drew interest from multiple Premier League sides this summer, the numbers were not adding up. Undoubtedly, that was mostly due to injury, but Delap has also not helped himself at times. His return from injury against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup was cut short by a red card Enzo Maresca described as “embarrassing”. He has picked up two yellow cards since, including one within two minutes of being introduced against Aston Villa.

As incoming head coach Liam Rosenior, who is already familiar with Delap after coaching him on loan at Hull City in 2023-24, watched from the stands at Craven Cottage, he will have picked up on numerous problems he needs to address quickly at Cobham. One of the positives he can pluck out of that defeat, though, is that Delap is finally beginning to look like the player Chelsea paid £30m for in June.

Delap the target man started to emerge as a more effective force in November and December, showing his ability to agitate defenders, hold up the ball with his back to goal, and link up with his wingers. But that was inconsistent, shown only in glimpses, and more importantly, Delap the finisher was nowhere to be found. He appeared isolated at times, generating little in the way of clear-cut opportunities, and that frustration showed in ill-discipline.

Delap scores from a corner against Fulham (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Wednesday’s game at Fulham was the first time that fans have seen Delap the target man and Delap the finisher and technician really appear.

Far from appearing isolated, he was involved in more attacking sequences than any other player on the pitch — particularly impressive given that Chelsea were down to 10 men for most of the game. That often involved dropping off and holding up the ball before teeing up an onrushing colleague. As Delap has built his minutes back up after injury, he is growing more vocal and more enterprising in his off-the-ball movement to capitalise on space in behind.

When Marc Cucurella was sent off in the 22nd minute, it could have turned into another frustrating and isolated evening for Delap — but he continued to occupy Fulham’s back line and pulled his weight defensively, too, ranking fourth for defensive actions.

Before his goal, Delap’s best moment came late in the first half. With his back to goal and Joachim Andersen grappling with him near the halfway line, the striker kept his feet rather than go to ground for a free-kick. He turned Andersen and pulled away from him and Sander Berge to create a counter-attack that eventually saw Cole Palmer’s effort saved.

It encapsulated what a fit, firing Delap can add to Chelsea’s build-up; then, in the second half, he added the end product. He had already run through on goal after linking up with Palmer, but was denied by Bernd Leno. It was eventually from a corner that he found the breakthrough, turning home Pedro Neto’s delivery after it rebounded from the post. It was a close-range finish, but he reacted well to lose his marker and convert first-time with his body at an awkward angle.

That goal should also help Delap bond with a fanbase he has not been able to share much celebration with this season. His goal against Barcelona was welcome but ultimately a cherry on top of what had already been a superb performance; this time, he looked to have actually won Chelsea a point and celebrated fervently with the away end. Harry Wilson’s superb late winner left Delap’s goal ultimately as a consolation — but in the moment, it meant more.

This is only a start. There are still areas to work on: Delap was not booked but committed three fouls, the joint-most on the pitch. His output from open play can improve. But now, with a clean slate and working with a manager under whom he has blossomed before, things are certainly looking up.

“I thought Liam was brilliant when he came on at the Etihad,” said interim manager Calum McFarlane after Wednesday’s match. “You can see that he had the bit between his teeth against his old side. He gave us a real outlet. His link-up play, his hold-up play was exceptional. Tough circumstances tonight, being the single No 9 down to 10 men. But even then, you see him fight, bully, control centre-backs and get us up the pitch.

“He had a big chance that he’ll be disappointed to miss, which was great play from him and Cole linking up.

“I’m delighted he got his goal. He deserves it. He’ll take confidence from that, and I hope his performances stay at this level.”

Delap is still far from the finished product — but 217 days after he joined the club, it feels as though he is really getting started.