Wolves 0-0 Chelsea: Player ratings as depleted Blues held again

Chelsea were hit by injuries and illness as they were held to yet another frustrating draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

The Blues started brightly, with Reece James stinging Jose Sa's gloves after just a few seconds, but Wolves grew into the game and thought they had opened the scoring through Daniel Podence, whose strike was chalked off for offside after a lengthy delay.

The momentum was clearly on the home side, and although they didn't create too many good chances, they looked more likely to open the scoring than Chelsea in the first 45. Leander Dendoncker had the best opportunity shortly before the interval, but his tame header was easy for Edouard Mendy to claim.

The second half began with Chelsea dominating possession, but apart from firing a number of scary crosses into the box, they still struggled to get behind Wolves' defence.

Christian Pulisic had a glorious chance to finally make the breakthrough with 12 minutes left, but Sa stood tall and managed to send his strike past the post.

In the end, this was a game of few chances, and while Chelsea may feel as though they could have snatched all three points, they simply didn't have enough about them yet again.

Wolves player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Jose Sa (GK) - 6/10 - Not particularly busy, but made an excellent save to deny Pulisic late on.

Max Kilman (CB) - 7/10 - Pretty composed at the back and surprisingly impactful going forward. Pulled out a beautiful Ronaldo chop.

Conor Coady (CB) - 7/10 - Took a blow in an excellent challenge on Pulisic early on but shook it off well. Some really important blocks.

Romain Saiss (CB) - 7/10 - Far too strong for Chelsea's forwards. Bullied them off the ball.

2. Midfielders

Ki-Jana Hoever (RM) - 6/10 - A real threat going forwards. Got in behind Alonso well in the first half, but needed to focus more on defending after the interval.

Leander Dendoncker (CM) - 6/10 - Should have done so much better with a chance shortly before half-time.

Ruben Neves (CM) - 6/10 - Really impressive in the first half but just couldn't get on the ball after the break.

Joao Moutinho (CM) - 6/10 - Played slightly further forward and enjoyed so much space between Chelsea's lines in the first 45. Really intelligent play.

Marcal (LM) - 5/10 - Caused nightmares for Azpilicueta with some smart movement early on, but saw his defensive weaknesses exploited in the second half.

3. Forwards

Daniel Podence (ST) - 6/10 - Loves playing Chelsea. Unfortunate to have his goal chalked off.

Raul Jimenez (ST) - 5/10 - A real hard-working effort. Put himself about well and linked up well with those around him, but couldn't get involved enough.

4. Substitutes

Adama Traore (ST) - 5/10 - Scared Chelsea with his presence but didn't actually do anything.

Francisco Trincao (ST) - N/A - Replaced Jimenez late on.

Chelsea player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Edouard Mendy (GK) - 6/10 - Not particularly busy but made a handful of decent stops.

Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) - 5/10 - Really overwhelmed by Marcal and Podence. Seen screaming at Tuchel for help. Sorted himself out eventually.

Thiago Silva (CB) - 7/10 - His calmness was needed big time. Chelsea would have been all over the place had it not been for him.

Antonio Rudiger (CB) - 6/10 - Enjoyed a physical battle with Jimenez and did well to keep Wolves at bay.

6. Midfielders

Reece James (RM) - 5/10 - Really off it with some shocking passes in the first half and his poor positioning left Azpilicueta high and dry. Composed himself in the final 45 and started asking real questions.

Trevoh Chalobah (CM) - 4/10 - Struggled to get a grip on the game. Off at half-time after a collision with Silva.

N'Golo Kante (CM) - 7/10 - Outstanding yet again. Didn't look like a player lacking fitness.

Marcos Alonso (LM) - 5/10 - Poor defensively early on but nearly made up for it with a lovely pass to Pulisic.

Mason Mount (AM) - 7/10 - Visibly confused by his role in the first half, but seemed to figure things out after the break. Pressed with real energy and forced Chelsea back into the game.

Hakim Ziyech (AM) - 3/10 - Didn't do anything before being taken off on the hour mark.

7. Forward

Christian Pulisic (ST) - 4/10 - Saw a great chance denied by Sa but generally struggled to get involved.

8. Substitutes

Saul Niguez (CM) - 6/10 - So much more comfortable in the deeper midfield role. His presence allowed Chelsea to get a grip on the game.

Mateo Kovacic (CM) - 6/10 - Got really fortunate with a poor pass at the back but generally looked quite tidy on the ball.