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The Wolves came from behind to check on Chelsea’s title aspirations with Pedro Neto scoring a winning goal in injury time in the 2-1 victory.
After a monotonous first 45 minutes where only a Kurt Zouma header that shot back off the crossbar threatened any goal, Olivier Giroud put Chelsea ahead (49) when his shot went through Rui Patricio and was rewarded for goal line technology .
Although Frank Lampard has downplayed his title credentials, Chelsea were headed for the joint top until Daniel Podence shot home with a wonderful individual effort (66).
The Wolves thought they had won a penalty in the 81st minute when Stuart Attwell felt Reece James knock Neto down inside the box, but the referee reversed his decision after looking at the courtside monitor.
But Neto kept pushing Chelsea back and earned his reward with one of the last kicks of the game by firing a quality shot into the bottom corner (90 + 5).
The defeat doomed Chelsea to their first consecutive defeats in 2020 and leaves them three points behind Liverpool and Tottenham having played one more match.
How the wolves left him late …
In what felt like the beginning of a crucial week in terms of the season, both teams started off on a jitter.
Chelsea saw their 17-game unbeaten streak in all competitions ended by Everton on Saturday, where they lacked fluidity in the final third and it showed again.
Christian Pulisic was his main threat and it was his deception that led to a corner in the 21st minute. Since Ben Chilwell’s excellent delivery, Giroud soared higher to about eight meters, but launched his header over the crossbar with Patricio defeated .
The wolves, returning to their usual form with a back five, were happy to sit back and absorb the pressure and try to make the most of Neto at the counter. It was chopping Edouard Mendy’s palms from 20 yards, but that was the best for the hosts.
Patricio didn’t have a save to make, but was nearly beaten a minute before halftime when a towering header from Zouma hit the crossbar. The rebound hit Giroud a yard away and he fell wide as the Wolves survived, but were violated just four minutes after the restart.
Giroud didn’t have much serve to work with, but he did get a half yard when Willy Boly allowed a Chilwell cross to rebound and the Frenchman was strong enough to launch a volley that escaped Patricio’s grip.
The ball was twisted over the line before the goalkeeper returned it, with goal-line technology awarding the first goal.
However, the wolves responded well and Fabio Silva had the ball in the net only to be rejected by a correct offside call.
With Adama Traore now on the field, the Wolves took a step forward as Chelsea failed to take advantage of the opening game. They were punished in the 66th minute when the Wolves tied.
Podence always seemed the most likely to inspire the hosts and the forward struck when he sold the Chilwell and Reece James mannequins before his shot cut James and passed Mendy on his first post.
A frantic finish was set and the Wolves thought they had a penalty with 10 minutes to go after Neto fell under the challenge of James.
There was minimal contact and referee Attwell reversed his own decision after checking the court monitor.
The wolves sensed a vulnerability from Chelsea and with Neto in good spirits, they quickly broke up and put Neto one on one with Zouma. The Chelsea man backed away and Neto made the most of it, driving into the box and throwing an effort into the far corner to get the Wolves season back in the right direction.
Opt for statistics
- Chelsea have lost consecutive Premier League games for the first time since December 14, 2019.
- Every one of Wolves’ last 83 Premier League goals has been scored by non-British players (excluding goals themselves); only Arsenal have had a longer streak in the competition (171 between October 2005 and February 2008).
- Chelsea’s first goal came with their first shot on goal of the game in the 49th minute.
- Podence’s four Premier League goals for Wolves have come against London clubs (2 against Crystal Palace, 1 against Arsenal and 1 against Chelsea) with three of those four coming at home.
- Neto’s goal for the Wolves at 94:39 was the last winning goal scored in a Premier League game against Chelsea since we have exact goal times in the competition (from 2006-07).
Whats Next?
The Wolves now have a six-day rest period before facing Burnley next Monday, live on Sky Sports (kickoff at 5.30pm). Chelsea also returns to action in Monday night football for a London derby with West Ham (start at 20:00).
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