Chorus of boos, calls for Mourinho at final whistle as Chelsea are humbled 4-2 at home to Wolves
By Paul Lagan at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2 v Wolves 4
Chelsea were utterly humiliated by a Wolves side at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. After going 1-0 up they fell apart in alarming fashion, getting hammered 4-2 in the end. It could have been worse.
This Chelsea side lack confidence, direction, game plan and frankly ability.
The boos echoed around the stadium as the final whistle blew and that frustration must have reached the directors' box where the owners would have heard during the game calls in support of ex-owner Roman Abramovich and a few choice self-deprecating chants, which summed up their current predicament.
Chants of Jose Mourinho were also shouted, suggesting the fans are not enamoured by the performance of head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his management team.
Wolves, who were below the Blues in the table leapfrogged them, with the Blues languishing 11 in the Premier League.
It's hard to see where the positives and development is coming from.
After the thrashing by Liverpool in midweek, Pochettino said his side must improve.
That's obvious, but it's how the improvement comes about that matters, and it does not look like it coming anytime soon.
Chelsea could have been 2-0 down within three minutes but for the double save produced by Djordje Petrovic, while straight up the other end a minute later, Christopher Nkunku was denied by a last-gasp challenge by Maximilian Kilman.
But on 19 minutes, the home side struck and it was a wonderful team goal.
Started by Enzo, the ball was played firstly to Conor Gallagher which clipped it to Moises Caicedo. The midfielder the produced a defence-splitter to set up in-running Cole Palmer on the right , and he struck a low drive past Jose Sa and the ball nestled into the back of the Wolves net.
Within seconds the visitors had equalised. Caicedo was needless dispossessed on the centre line. Wolves then attacked well and had a degree of good fortune when Matheus Cunha's right-footed curler was deflected off the leg of Thiago Silva, sending Petrovic the wrong was and the ball dribbled in to the goal to level the score.
Inspired by Neto, Wolves took the lead on 44 minutes when Rayan Ait-Nouri followed up Neto's pass with a low drive of his own. Again the ball took a wicked defection, this time off the inside right left of Axel Disasi and the ball zipped past a prone Petrovic.
Neto v=could have killed Chelsea off seconds I to the restart as he bundled his way through the defence. But his angled shot, while on target, was saved by Petrovic at his near post.
Sterling saw a left-footed daisy-cutter go inches wide as the half continued with the openness of the first.
Nelson Semedo saw his edge o the penalty area free-kick crash in to the side netting, inches away from extending the visitors' lead on 54 minutes.
Neto tried his luck two minutes later, but his free-kick in an almost identical position was well blocked by the Chelsea wall.
Pochettino opted to bring on striker Nicolas Jackson for midfielder Caicedo on 63 minutes.
Wolves got their deserved third goal seconds later when a quick break saw the Blues cut open and in-running Matheus Cunha smashed home from eight yards out.
Jackson missed a sitter on 67 minutes, heading wide of goal from an excellent deep Gusto cross.
With chats for former owner Roman Abramovich and other self-deprecating chants, Pochettino decided to bring on winger Mykhailo Mudryk and Carney Chukwuemeka – off went Nkunku and Sterling.
Things got worse for the Blues when Gusto brought down Cunha for a penalty on 80 minutes.
Before the spot kick could be made young Alfie Gilchrist was given more deserved minutes in a Chelsea shirt when he came on for Gusto alongside Benoit Badiashile for Chilwell
Cunha stepped up to take the spot kick and sent Petrovic the wrong way and the Blues went 1-4 down.
With five minutes left on the clock, Silva scored a consolation goal – an excellent glancing header from a corner beating everyone.
But that was way too little, way too late.
Teams: Chelsea: Petrovic, Disasi, Silva, Sterling, Enzo, Nkunku, Palmer, Chilwell, Gallagher, Caicedo, Gusto
Subs: Bettinelli, Bergstrom, Badiashile, Mudryk, Noni, Jackson, Chukwuemeka, Casadei, Gilchrist
Wolves: Sa, Ait-Nouri, Mario Jr, Neto, Gomes, Cunha, Dawson, Sarabia, Semedo, Kilman
Subs: Bentley, Doherty, Santiago Bueno, Hugo Bueno, Doyle, Bellegarde, Griffiths, Chirewa, Fraser
Referee: Tim Robinson
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