Wolves 2-1 Chelsea: 5 Hits and Flops as Blues sink to another defeat in forgettable campaign | Premier League 2023-24

Chelsea's tumultuous 2023-24 Premier League campaign continued with a 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium on Sunday, December 24.

Coming off a 3-0 loss to West Ham, Wolves made two changes to the starting lineup. Manager Gary O'Neil welcomed Jose Sa back in goal, with Rayan Ait-Nouri also replacing Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.

Chelsea, meanwhile, made three changes from the side that beat Newcastle midweek in the Carabao Cup. Malo Gusto, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Armando Broja came in for Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernandez, and Moises Caicedo, with a suspected formation change for the Blues.

It was a wasteful first half from Mauricio Pochettino's side as they missed multiple chances to take the lead. Raheem Sterling missed the best of the lot, with Sa making a great stop in a three-on-one situation.

Wolves troubled the visitors regularly from set pieces and their pressure paid off in the second half. Mario Lemina's header from a corner found the back of the net to make it 1-0 in the 51st minute.

Chelsea continued to apply pressure in search of an equaliser. Christopher Nkunku came on for his Premier League debut as the visitors pressed on.

However, the hosts doubled their advantage early in stoppage time. Substitute Matt Doherty was in a great position to slot home Badiashile's half-hearted clearance to make it 2-0 in the 93rd minute.

Nkunku headed home from a Sterling cross in the 96th minute to make it 2-1 for Chelsea and give some hope to Blues fans, but Wolves held on for all three points.

Here are five hits and flops from the game.

#5. Hit - Mario Lemina

The Gabon international put in a strong outing during his side's win. Apart from scoring the opener, the midfielder was a strong presence in front of the Wolves' back three. He finished the game with four interceptions, nine recoveries, two clearances, and seven duels won.

#4. Flop - Chelsea's tactical switch

Mauricio Pochettino decided to tweak his usual starting lineup for the fixture against Wolves. Two strikers, Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson, started as the Argentine hoped to break Wolves' low block. However, it was to no effect as the hosts defended efficiently while the visitors failed to really threaten Jose Sa, apart from a few chances.

#3. Hit - Christopher Nkunku

The Frenchman's goal on his Premier League debut will serve as a small positive takeaway for the Blues. Coming on at the hour mark, Nkunku displayed his versatility by playing on the wing initially before moving to a more central role. Pochettino will hope that last season's Bundesliga top scorer will help Chelsea overturn their poor fortunes.

#2. Flop - Chelsea attack

It was a difficult outing for Broja and Jackson, deployed alongside each other in a two-man attack. Neither forward was clinical enough for the Blues, with Jackson's first touch failing him as he received a cross from Sterling while Broja took too much time to settle and missed another chance in what was a wasteful night from the Blues.

#1. Flop - Chelsea discipline

Discipline continues to be a major issue for Pochettino's Blues, both with yellow cards and their mindset. Jackson now was eight yellows for the season, while Sterling and Palmer each picked up their fifth of the season, meaning they will miss the upcoming fixture. They also seemed to put their heads down after the first goal, almost conceding a penalty just minutes later.