Wolves beat drab Chelsea at home in rare Christmas Eve clash
After 28 years without PL football on Boxing Day, the opening stages of this clash certainly weren’t worth the wait.
‘Uninspiring’ would perhaps be the best way to describe the two sides’ tame starts, with neither managing to assert themselves on proceedings.
Chances were at a premium in the first half, and in fact, it took until just after the half-hour mark for either side to work a clear one.
There was an element of fortune when Chelsea eventually did, as João Gomes had his pocket picked by Raheem Sterling, but as he galloped through on goal with the freedom Molineux, he perhaps selfishly elected to risk shooting when he had Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson up in support and saw his effort saved by José Sá.
Wolves’ attacking offerings were few and far between, but they did grow into the game before the break and came desperately close to snatching a surprise lead when Hwang Hee-chan burst in behind and blasted an effort narrowly over the bar.
That certainly incentivised the hosts, who came out after the break with renewed hope and came tantalisingly close to netting an opener when a stunning Đorđe Petrović stop denied Toti Gomes from point-blank range.
That was only a temporary reprieve for Chelsea though, who fell behind just minutes later when Sarabia’s corner was guided into the corner by Mario Lemina.
Mauricio Pochettino had seen enough at that point and made a double change that almost paid immediate dividends when Christopher Nkunku’s effort was cleared off the line by Toti.
Bodies on the line was becoming a theme for Wolves, who had yet another last-ditch block to thank for preserving their lead shortly after when Craig Dawson slid in at the death to deny Sterling, albeit to the detriment of his afternoon as he limped off seconds after.
A whopping 11 minutes of stoppage time meant the game wasn’t done just yet, and Wolves thought they’d rounded off their afternoon when Matt Doherty was quickest to react to a loose ball in the box, firing home his first Wolves PL goal since his return to the club.
They didn’t have it all their own way, as Nkunku hit back a matter of minutes later to set up a grandstand finish, but it was too little too late for Chelsea, who couldn’t prevent Wolves from securing a victory that moves them level on points with Chelsea heading into Christmas.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mario Lemina (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
