Chelsea's best and worst players in defeat to Wolves

Another week, another defeat for Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea.

The Christmas Eve loss to Wolves was, shockingly, the Blues' 19th of 2023, and it once again came thanks to a disastrous mix of frugality in attack and silly errors in the defensive third.

Mario Lemina opened the scoring for Wolves in the 51st minute before Matt Doherty bagged a 93rd-minute goal to seal the win for the home side, with Christopher Nkunku's 96th-minute strike proving too little, too late for Pochettino's men.

Here's Chelsea's best and worst players from the game, according to 90min's player ratings.

Chelsea's best player vs Wolves

Christopher Nkunku: 8/10

Christopher Nkunku made his belated Premier League debut off the bench on Sunday and showed Chelsea fans exactly what their attacking line has been missing in the first half of the 2023/24 season.

The former RB Leipzig star immediately added some genuine quality to the Blues team in the final half an hour of the game, popping up in dangerous areas and finding space in a way Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson could only dream of.

His headed goal was certainly a sign of good things to come.

Chelsea's worst player vs Wolves

Nicolas Jackson: 3/10

No Premier League team has missed more big chances than Chelsea so far this season, and with Nicolas Jackson up front it is pretty easy to see why.

The 22-year-old mustered up a measly one shot on goal, completed no dribbles, lost seven duals and generally didn't do anything well.

Dishonourable mention

Thiago Silva: 4/10

Thiago Silva played like a 39-year-old on Sunday afternoon.

For perhaps the first time in his Chelsea career to date, the legendary defender was unable to roll back the years, instead looking slow and rather clumsy in and out of possession. It was a worrying performance, especially when you consider how much the Blues lean on him defensively.

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