Wolves 1-0 Chelsea: Player ratings as Nunes screamer spoils Lampard's return
By Tom Gott
Frank Lampard's return to Chelsea ended in disaster as the Blues fell to a 1-0 defeat to Wolves at Molineux on Saturday.
The interim boss had vowed to give his squad a fresh start but there was nothing new about Chelsea, whose lacklustre performance was punished by an outstanding first-half strike from Matheus Nunes - a moment of magic in an otherwise underwhelming affair.
Chelsea had most of the possession in the early stages but rarely looked like making a breakthrough in an opening 20 minutes that was both entertaining and completely devoid of incident, but Wolves eventually settled and began to take control of things.
Mario Lemina's low drive from outside the box was the first real scare for either side but the first moment of real quality came from Nunes, whose glorious half-volley went soaring across the box and into Kepa's top corner shortly after the half-hour mark.
Former Blue Diego Costa then had an effort saved as Wolves continued to stamp their authority on proceedings, with Chelsea's best opportunity of the first half coming late on as Joao Felix's strike from range was sent directly towards Jose Sa.
The second half began with more energy from Chelsea but the Blues' gung-ho mindset led to two glorious counter-attacks from Wolves, who should have added to their lead but made the wrong decision on both occasions.
What followed was a performance which would not have looked out of place in the Graham Potter era. Chelsea never looked like breaking down Wolves, who embraced the pressure and consistently cleared their lines.
There was a late call for a penalty as Christian Pulisic went to ground trying to finish off a nice Chelsea move, but the referee was not interested and the VAR declined to intervene.
Chelsea would finish the game with over 60% on target but just Felix's first-half strike in the shots-on-target column, summing up what was a miserable afternoon for the Blues.
Wolves player ratings (4-4-2)
GK: Jose Sa - 6/10 - Rarely tested but comfortable whenever he was called upon.
RB: Nelson Semedo - 7/10 - Solid defensively and had a field day up against Cucurella and Koulibaly.
CB: Craig Dawson - 7/10 - Coped well with Havertz without ever really needing to get out of second gear.
CB: Max Kilman - 7/10 - Looked incredibly composed as the captain kept things organised at the back.
LB: Toti Gomes - 7/10 - Superb at both ends of the field, despite the fact he's not even a centre-back. Really impressive.
RM: Matheus Nunes - 8/10 - What a goal. Had a great time up against Cucurella and capped off an impressive performance with a superb strike.
CM: Mario Lemina - 6/10 - A destructive force who took things a little too far. Could have easily been booked more than once in the first half.
CM: Joao Gomes - 8/10 - Ran the show in midfield. Celebrated each and every tackle like his life depended on it.
LM: Daniel Podence - 6/10 - Some dangerous moves to keep Chelsea on edge throughout.
ST: Matheus Cunha - 6/10 - Not particularly involved but still caused problems with his movement. Individual highlight was undoubtedly his reaction to Nunes' goal.
ST: Diego Costa - 6/10 - Had to do a whole lot of ugly work but obviously enjoyed it.
Substitutes
Joao Moutinho (63' for Podence) - 5/10
Hwang Hee-chan (63' for Costa) - 6/10
Pablo Sarabia (74' for Cunha) - 5/10
Adama Traore (74' for Lemina) - 5/10
Nathan Collins (90' for Nunes) - N/A
Manager
Julen Lopetegui - 7/10 - Built his whole system around controlling the midfield and reducing space, and you can't argue with the results.
Chelsea player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 5/10 - Got his positioning wrong for Nunes' goal but couldn't do a whole lot about the strike at the end of the day.
RB: Reece James - 6/10 - Not at his best but still one of Chelsea's strongest performers.
CB: Wesley Fofana - 6/10 - An excellent tackle early on as part of a solid showing from the Frenchman.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly - 5/10 - Didn't inspire any confidence on the left as he struggled to deal with Wolves' impressive attack.
LB: Marc Cucurella - 4/10 - Quite clearly targeted by Wolves and understandably so. Poor positioning for Nunes' opener as part of a performance which failed to impress at either end of the field.
DM: Enzo Fernandez - 6/10 - One of the few Chelsea players who looked composed in possession, but Fernandez failed to make the difference for his side.
CM: Mateo Kovacic - 5/10 - Struggled to keep up with the pace of the game as Wolves' press caused him plenty of problems.
CM: Conor Gallagher - 5/10 - Brought plenty of energy but not a whole lot else.
RW: Raheem Sterling - 4/10 - Offered very little as Chelsea struggled to find a way through. Too hesitant to pull the trigger at times.
ST: Kai Havertz - 3/10 - Really struggled to get involved but didn't help himself when he did get the ball. Often played the wrong pass or failed to spot a run.
LW: Joao Felix - 4/10 - Buzzed around aimlessly as he continued to make the wrong decision in the final third.
Substitutes
Christian Pulisic (60' for Havertz) - 5/10
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (67' for Felix) - 5/10
Mykhailo Mudryk (67' for Sterling) - 5/10
Ben Chilwell (67' for Cucurella) - 6/10
Trevoh Chalobah (80' for Fofana) - N/A
Manager
Frank Lampard - 4/10 - Questionable selections, both in terms of personnel and system, set Chelsea up to fail. Tried to make changes but couldn't get the results.