The strikers fail to face Wolves, but Nkunku offers hope » Today Latest Stories

Chelsea traveled to Wolverhampton Wanderers for their first Premier League match on Christmas Eve since 1995, but there was little to cheer as the Blues were beaten 2-1 at Molineux.

Mario Lemina headed home Pablo Sarabia’s corner kick to score the opener shortly after half-time, before Matt Doherty added a second, leaving Chelsea with nothing to take despite Christopher Nkunku’s late header.

While the Blues remain ahead of their hosts to remain in 10th place, they are now level on points with Wolves and Bournemouth.

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Positives

There was plenty of exciting play from Chelsea, with incisive running and passing in the first half. Raheem Sterling was the most obvious example of this before missing a huge opportunity as Nelson Semedo struggled on the wing. Even in periods when they were not playing well, Chelsea were still in promising positions. It will be a pleasure to see Nkunku score on his Premier League debut, six months after he officially joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig.

Negatives

After dominating long periods of the first half, Chelsea should have been ahead by the time they came under pressure, but they wasted too much in front of Jose Sa’s goal. There was also some sloppy play in defence, which increased the pressure, and the terrible start in the second half was exacerbated by poor defence. There was a lack of discipline, with yellow cards given for dissent and kicking the ball wide.

Manager evaluation

Mauricio Pochettino 6- I opted to play both Nicholas Jackson and Armando Broga up front from the start, but neither looked particularly impressive. He decided not to change anything in the first half and soon saw his side fall behind, although his substitutes injected some life into the attack when they were brought on. He will need to put in more effort defending corner kicks on the training pitch.

Player Ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes receive no rating)

GK Djordje Petrovic, 6– He didn’t have much to do in the first half but came out decisively to prevent Semedo from getting to the ball behind the Blues defence. He made a great save from Totti Gomez after the restart, but there was nothing he could do about either goal. Saves Tommy Doyle’s shot.

DF Malo Gusteau, 5– He made some brilliant runs forward, one of which resulted in a pass from which Broga should have scored. He wasn’t strong enough when defending a corner kick for Lemina’s goal and that set the tone for the second half. The right-back looked unconvincing, was booked for throwing the ball wide and conceded a chance with a poor touch.

DF Axel Disasi, 6– He came out of a critical situation against Hwang Hee Chan from a free kick. He stood strong in the more difficult scenarios, particularly against Craig Dawson on set-pieces. Sloppy play put his team in trouble shortly after the goal.

DF Thiago Silva, 6- He made some big clearances, including a meaningless one after his teammates lost the ball cheaply in the corner. He was caught on one occasion when Hwang ran in behind him and received the ball unnecessarily on the edge of the penalty area on another occasion. He did a good job of stopping Hwang near the end.

D. F. Levi Colwell, 6– Petrovic once saved him after the ball flew over his head. He had an exciting battle against Pablo Sarabia, and did a remarkably good job of stopping him when he had the chance to break. Hwang stopped to save his team after a mistake by Disasi.

M. F. Cole Palmer, 6– He fired a wild shot harmlessly wide before seeing another deflected just before half-time. He got on the ball in some good situations in the second half and crossed the ball for Sterling’s chance. He was booked rashly and therefore missed the next match.

MF Leslie Ugochukwu, 6– He looked composed on the ball and passed it well in the first half. He recovered well to save Silva after losing the ball on the edge of the penalty area. However, after looking dominant in the air during the first period, he did not do enough to stop Lemina with a header in the opener and was limped off injured soon after.

MF Connor Gallagher, 6– He got into good position to cut off Joao Gomez’s pass but there were times when he looked uncomfortable receiving the ball from defenders and conceded free kicks in dangerous areas. He was booked after half an hour for bringing down Rayan Ait Nouri.

MF Raheem Sterling, 8- Semedo simply could not cope with Sterling for large periods of the first half as he made direct passes and played assists that were wasted by Broga and Jackson. However, the winger allowed the biggest chance of them all to pass by after stealing the ball from Gomez but having his shot blocked when one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He eventually got an assist with a cross for Nkunku’s goal but was booked for diving, so he will miss the next match.

Striker Nicholas Jackson, 5 — He was let down by a terrible touch after Sterling’s cross and was too heavy after slipping between two Wolves defenders, allowing Semedo to come back. He has been booked for dissent.

Forward Armando Broja, 4 — He took too long to get to the ball after a pass from Sterling was blocked by Lemina, then missed his effort from Giusto’s cross. He hasn’t done much with his overall play either, with his touch looking poor at times.

Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes do not receive any rating)

Mykhaylo Modric, 6– He was replaced by Broga in the 59th minute and showed a lot of intent but sometimes found his final pass lacking, putting Gallagher in an awkward position. His corner deliveries were also disappointing.

Christopher Nkunku, 7– He replaced Ugochukwu in the 59th minute on his Premier League debut after spending most of this season out with injury. He shot a powerful shot towards goal, but it was cleared off the goal line, and then he blocked a header. He was rewarded with a beautiful header goal.

Ian Mattsen, N/R — Colwell was substituted in the 80th minute and looked uncomfortable when called upon defensively, with Hwang rolling him over with ease.

Benoit Badyashil, N/R — Giusto was substituted in the 80th minute, and his shock clearance created an opportunity for Doherty to score Wolves’ second goal.

Noni Madueke, N/R — Subbed on Jackson in the 80th minute and got things going. Unlucky not to find Nkunku and his ball inside the box, he then unleashed a volley that made things difficult for Sa, but he sent the shot wide.