WOLVERHAMPTON (AFP) – Wolves condemned Chelsea to a fourth defeat in six league matches on Sunday, winning 2-1 in the first Premier League match held on December 24 since 1995.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men dominated possession at Molineux but wasted chances in an incident-packed game littered with careless errors by the visiting side.
Wolves appeared to be cantering to victory after goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty but they were made to sweat when Christopher Nkunku pulled one back deep into stoppage time on his Premier League debut.
The defeat means Chelsea are stuck in 10th in the Premier League, with Wolves behind them only on goal difference.
No side have lost more Premier League matches in 2023 than Chelsea’s tally of 19, while only three sides have lost more across the big five European leagues during the calendar year.
Pochettino bemoaned his team’s missed chances after a frustrating afternoon.
“We feel very disappointed because I think we deserve much more,” the Argentine told Sky Sports. “This competition wounds you when you are not clinical enough.
“We created chances. That is why it is so disappointing. We conceded after a few corners and it was really difficult.”
There were chances at both ends early in the game.
Nelson Samedo burst forward but could not find Matheus Cunha on the left before Armando Broja stumbled on the ball in the box at the other end when well placed.
Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson was also guilty of failing to make the most of some good openings.
The visitors wasted a opportunity to take the lead shortly after the half-hour mark when Raheem Sterling caught Joao Gomes in possession 40 yards out and drove forward.
The England forward was one-on-one with Jose Sa, with two team-mates to his right, but he opted to shoot rather than pass and it was saved by the Wolves goalkeeper.
The home side started the second half brightly and came within a whisker of taking the lead when Lesley Ugochukwu deflected Gomes’s shot onto the outside of the post.
But Wolves broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Lemina did not even need to get off the ground to head home a Pablo Sarabia corner.
Substitute Nkunku came close to equalising when his shot was hacked off the line by Toti.
Instead, Wolves doubled their lead in stoppage time.
Substitute Hugo Bueno crossed and Chelsea were only able to block the ball as far as the waiting Doherty, who finished calmly from close range in the 93rd minute.
Nkunku pulled one back when he headed home three minutes later but Gary O’Neil’s side hung on to take all three points.
