{"id":9562,"date":"2023-12-24T10:40:17","date_gmt":"2023-12-24T15:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/wolves-2-1-chelsea\/24\/12\/2023\/"},"modified":"2023-12-24T10:40:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-24T15:40:17","slug":"wolves-2-1-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/wolves-2-1-chelsea\/24\/12\/2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Wolves 2 &#8211; 1 Chelsea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component-name=\"sdc-article-body\" data-highlight-intro=\"true\">\n<p>Wolves moved level on points with Chelsea with an entertaining but error-strewn 2-1 win at Molineux on Christmas Eve. <\/p>\n<p>Mario Lemina&#8217;s header early in the second half put Gary O&#8217;Neil&#8217;s team in front and substitute Matt Doherty doubled the advantage in stoppage time. Christopher Nkunku scored his first Chelsea goal soon after but it was not enough for Mauricio Pochettino&#8217;s side.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea had chances. Raheem Sterling missed the best chance of the first half when one-on-one against Jose Sa. But it was a chaotic performance, short on style or structure. They have now lost 19 Premier League games in 2023. No team has lost more.<\/p>\n<p>They remain 10th in the table. Wolves move up to 11th.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-factbox\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text-wrapper\">\n<p><h4 class=\"sdc-article-factbox__title\">Player ratings<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\"><b>Wolves: <\/b>Sa (7), Kilman (6), Dawson (7), Toti (7), Semedo (6), Lemina (8), Gomes (7), Ait-Nouri (7), Sarabia (6), Cunha (6), Hwang (7).\n<\/p>\n<p><b>Subs: <\/b>S.Bueno (6), Doyle (6), H.Bueno (7), Doherty (7).\n<\/p>\n<p><b>Chelsea: <\/b>Petrovic (6), Gusto (6), Disasi (6), Thiago Silva (5), Colwill (6), Ugochukwu (6), Gallagher (6), Sterling (6), Palmer (6), Jackson (4), Broja (5).\n<\/p>\n<p><b>Subs:<\/b> Nkunku (7), Mudryk (6), Maatsen (6), Madueke (7), Badiashile (5).\n<\/p>\n<p><b>Player of the match: <\/b>Mario Lemina.\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>How Wolves won it<\/h3>\n<p>Pochettino went with Armando Broja up front with Nicolas Jackson for company and Sterling in frequent support and the trio caused plenty of problems right from the start but could not get the goal in the first half. All will fancy they should have scored.<\/p>\n<p>Broja dallied over his chance, Jackson failed to control and when Sterling went clean through on goal he could only find the legs of Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa. It was a huge opportunity, gifted him by Joao Gomes&#8217; poor touch when put in trouble by Sa&#8217;s pass.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-article-factbox\">\n<div class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text-wrapper\">\n<p><h4 class=\"sdc-article-factbox__title\">Team news<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<ul class=\"sdc-article-factbox__list\">\n<li class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\">Gary O\u2019Neil made two changes to the Wolves team beaten at West Ham. Jose Sa returned in goal, while Rayan Ait-Nouri was fit to start with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde dropping out.<\/li>\n<li class=\"sdc-article-factbox__text\">Christopher Nkunku had to wait for his first Premier League start as Armando Broja was given the nod up front for Chelsea. Lesley Ugochukwu came into midfield.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>With Chelsea committing bodies to their attacks, Wolves were never comfortable but did have openings of their own. A Lemina shot was blocked by Hee-Chan Hwang and the South Korean should have done better himself when put through by Pablo Sarabia.<\/p>\n<p>Hints of quality, moments of wastefulness and a whiff of self-destruction in the air, it was easy to see why these two teams have had mixed results this season. But it was Chelsea who started the second half particularly poorly, Thiago Silva&#8217;s error almost leading to a goal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6058004149001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"c059783b-20a6-4313-9ceb-75925a339046\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.condatis.sky\/auth\/video\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Mario Lemina headed Wolves into the lead against Chelsea\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_c059783b-20a6-4313-9ceb-75925a339046\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"50\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-plclips-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"FkTAlw1HuO\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"false\" data-sdc-id=\"6403353\" data-sdc-video-id=\"c059783b-20a6-4313-9ceb-75925a339046\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"football\/premier-league-clips\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:c059783b-20a6-4313-9ceb-75925a339046\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"false\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>              <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><\/p>\n<p>              <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>              <\/span><\/p>\n<p>              <video id=\"id_c059783b-20a6-4313-9ceb-75925a339046\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\"\/>\n            <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>              <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\">Mario Lemina headed Wolves into the lead against Chelsea<\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The goal did come when Lemina headed in Sarabia&#8217;s right-wing corner. The midfielder did not need to jump, just guiding the ball into the corner. Wolves really took it to Chelsea for a while. Hwang going down in the box, Lemina forcing another save from Djordje Petrovic.<\/p>\n<p>But the home team offered hope to Chelsea with mistakes of their own. Jackson found space between two defenders and was through but tumbled down. Nkunku came on and had a chance almost immediately, Toti clearing his shot off the line.<\/p>\n<p>Pochettino was playing five forwards by that stage, pushing hard for the equaliser. Craig Dawson managed to block Sterling&#8217;s shot but injured his knee in the process. Wolves defended deeper and deeper, Chelsea throwing everything, but it was disorganised.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6058004149001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"8d64ad5e-7be0-461e-a3d6-aa08c6beb020\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.condatis.sky\/auth\/video\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Matt Doherty slid in the second for Wolves against Chelsea late on\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_8d64ad5e-7be0-461e-a3d6-aa08c6beb020\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"50\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-plclips-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"FkTAlw1HuO\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"false\" data-sdc-id=\"6403405\" data-sdc-video-id=\"8d64ad5e-7be0-461e-a3d6-aa08c6beb020\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"football\/premier-league-clips\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:8d64ad5e-7be0-461e-a3d6-aa08c6beb020\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"false\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>              <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display:block\" class=\"lazyload\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=75&resize=75 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=100&resize=100 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=150&resize=150 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=240&resize=240 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=320&resize=320 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=500&resize=500 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=640&resize=640 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=800&resize=800 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=1280&resize=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?w=1600&resize=1600 1600w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg\" alt=\"Doherty Wolves\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/1600x900\/skysports-doherty-wolves_6403403.jpg?20231224145233\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img\"\/><br \/>\n              <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>              <\/span><\/p>\n<p>              <video id=\"id_8d64ad5e-7be0-461e-a3d6-aa08c6beb020\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\"\/>\n            <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>              <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\">Matt Doherty slid in the second for Wolves against Chelsea late on<\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The chaos was summed up when Hwang was left on the halfway line alone, every Chelsea outfield player having gone up, but Sa could not find him. Wolves did appear to seal it when Doherty latched onto Benoit Badiashile&#8217;s weak clearance. But there was still drama.<\/p>\n<p>Nkunku, on as a substitute, nodded in unmarked from Sterling&#8217;s cross and set up a nervy finish. That would have been harsh on a spirited Wolves side but they held on. Chelsea were beaten again, a fourth away defeat in a row. And no sign of an end to the malaise.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sdc-article-widget sdc-site-video sdc-article-widget callfn\" data-account-id=\"6058004149001\" data-amp-iframe-embed=\"\" data-asset-id=\"00884782-e4d2-42d9-ad8d-42468abd283c\" data-asset-path=\"\" data-asset-version=\"\" data-autoplay=\"false\" data-auth-config=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.condatis.sky\/auth\/video\/token&quot;,&quot;tokenRequired&quot;:true,&quot;fetchMethod&quot;:&quot;url&quot;,&quot;fetchOptions&quot;:{&quot;encoded&quot;:true},&quot;headers&quot;:{&quot;X-SkyGDP-Proposition&quot;:&quot;sportweb&quot;,&quot;X-SkyGDP-Territory&quot;:&quot;GB&quot;,&quot;Authorization&quot;:&quot;OGY5ZDgxZjRhNzYwNGQ3MTljMjFhMDJlOGVmODRhYzA=&quot;}}\" data-caption=\"Christopher Nkunku pulled one back with his first Chelsea goal\" data-clip-type=\"\" data-component-name=\"sdc-site-video\" data-competition=\"\" data-copy-url-text=\"URL copied to clipboard\" data-fn=\"sdc-site-video\" data-id=\"id_00884782-e4d2-42d9-ad8d-42468abd283c\" data-is-live-stream=\"false\" data-lite=\"true\" data-options=\"\" data-originator-id=\"50\" data-originator-handle=\"brightcove-plclips-gb\" data-package-name=\"\" data-provider=\"brightcove\" data-player-id=\"FkTAlw1HuO\" data-playsinline=\"\" data-sensitive=\"false\" data-sdc-id=\"6403410\" data-sdc-video-id=\"00884782-e4d2-42d9-ad8d-42468abd283c\" data-sport-category=\"\" data-state=\"loading\" data-token-state=\"none\" data-video-ad-unit=\"football\/premier-league-clips\" data-video-blacklisted-originator-ids=\"\" data-video-id=\"ref:00884782-e4d2-42d9-ad8d-42468abd283c\" data-video-type=\"\" data-auto-pause-on-not-visible=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-closed-captions-position=\"\" data-show-closed-captions=\"false\" data-show-pip=\"\" data-show-live-stream-scrubber=\"\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__inner\">\n<div class=\"sdc-site-video__content\" data-role=\"bridge-controller\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ ());\">\n<p class=\"sdc-site-video__accessibility-message\" data-role=\"accessibility-message\">Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n<p>              <span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-role=\"poster\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster\"><br \/>\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display:block\" class=\"lazyload\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=75&resize=75 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=100&resize=100 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=150&resize=150 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=240&resize=240 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=320&resize=320 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=500&resize=500 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=640&resize=640 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=800&resize=800 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=1280&resize=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?w=1600&resize=1600 1600w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg\" alt=\"Nkunku goal\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/768x432\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg 600w,https:\/\/e0.365dm.com\/23\/12\/1600x900\/skysports-nkunku-chelsea_6403420.jpg?20231224150018\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sdc-site-video__poster-img\"\/><br \/>\n              <span class=\"sdc-site-video__loader\"\/><\/p>\n<p>              <\/span><\/p>\n<p>              <video id=\"id_00884782-e4d2-42d9-ad8d-42468abd283c\" data-embed=\"default\" data-application-id=\"\" class=\"video-js sdc-site-video__tag\" controls=\"\" playsinline=\"\"\/>\n            <\/div><figcaption class=\"sdc-site-video__caption ui-media-caption\">\n<p>              <span class=\"ui-media-caption__caption-text\" data-role=\"caption-text\">Christopher Nkunku pulled one back with his first Chelsea goal<\/span><br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skysports.com\/premier-league-fixtures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">What&#8217;s next?<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Wolves<\/strong> go to <strong>Brentford<\/strong> on Wednesday; kick-off 7.30pm. Gary O&#8217;Neil&#8217;s side then play their final fixture of 2023 on December 30 at home to <strong>Everton<\/strong>; kick-off 3pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chelsea<\/strong> face a London derby on Wednesday as they host <strong>Crystal Palace <\/strong>at Stamford Bridge; kick-off 7.30pm. The Blues&#8217; final fixture of the year comes at Kenilworth Road as they face relegation strugglers Luton on December 30; kick-off 12.30pm.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skysports.com\/football\/wolverhampton-wanderers-vs-chelsea\/report\/482770\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wolves moved level on points with Chelsea with an entertaining but error-strewn 2-1 win at Molineux on Christmas Eve. Mario Lemina&rsquo;s header<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/wolves-2-1-chelsea\/24\/12\/2023\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[213],"tags":[137,583],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9562"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9562"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9564,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9562\/revisions\/9564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}