Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea Live Commentary & Result, 08/04/2023, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	38	28	5	5	94	33	+61	89	L D W W W
2	ARS Arsenal	38	26	6	6	88	43	+45	84	W L L W W
3	MUN Manchester United	38	23	6	9	58	43	+15	75	W W W W L
4	NEW Newcastle United	38	19	14	5	68	33	+35	71	D D W D L
5	LIV Liverpool	38	19	10	9	75	47	+28	67	D D W W W
6	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	38	18	8	12	72	53	+19	62	L D W L W
7	AVL Aston Villa	38	18	7	13	51	46	+5	61	W D W L L
8	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	6	14	70	63	+7	60	W L L W L
9	BRE Brentford	38	15	14	9	58	46	+12	59	W W W L W
10	FUL Fulham	38	15	7	16	55	53	+2	52	L D W W L
11	CRY Crystal Palace	38	11	12	15	40	49	-9	45	D D W L W
12	CHE Chelsea	38	11	11	16	38	47	-9	44	D L L D W
13	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	11	8	19	31	58	-27	41	L D L W L
14	WHU West Ham United	38	11	7	20	42	55	-13	40	L W L W L
15	BOU AFC Bournemouth	38	11	6	21	37	71	-34	39	L L L L W
16	NFO Nottingham Forest	38	9	11	18	38	68	-30	38	D W D W L
17	EVE Everton	38	8	12	18	34	57	-23	36	W D L W D
18	LEI Leicester City	38	9	7	22	51	68	-17	34	W D L L D
19	LEE Leeds United	38	7	10	21	48	78	-30	31	L L D L L
20	SOU Southampton	38	6	7	25	36	73	-37	25	D L L L L

That concludes our coverage for today. Until the next time, thank you for joining us!

But for Julen Lopetegui, it is one of the biggest wins of the season for his side. They now lie a place behind Chelsea, at the head of the relegation pack, with four points on the drop.

That is not the return that would have been envisioned by the former Blues midfielder, but just a few days into the job, he now knows the scope of the task at hand. His side lie 11th.

It's all over at Molineux, and Matheus Nunes' first-half volley for the ages helps Wolves to a massive Premier League win over Chelsea! Frank Lampard's second spell begins in defeat, but the hosts give their survival homes an almighty shot in the arm. At full-time, it has finished Wolves 1-0 Chelsea.

90' + 8' FULL-TIME: WOLVES 1-0 CHELSEA

N. Collins

Matheus Nunes

90' + 6' Collins is on for Nunes in these closing stages as Wolves aim to see this one out.

90' + 4' Late concern for Wolves now, with Nunes getting treatment for a leg problem. It looks like he will be limping off with the medics.

90' + 2' Now Chilwell floats a shot way off-course. The home fans jeer. Chelsea are getting desperate.

90' There will be five added minutes at Molineux.

B. Chilwell

Yellow Card

89' Chilwell is the latest man into the book. It really is last chances in the saloon for Chelsea now.

M. Kovačić

Yellow Card

87' Kovacic is shown a yellow card for dissent now, after a sturdy Wolves tackle goes unpunished beyond a free-kick.

85' Another penalty appeal for the Blues now, after James' excellent cut-back is met by a tangle of bodies. The referee is having none of it however.

82' Mudryk draws a free-kick now, but any opportunity the visitors might have hoped to gain from it is swiftly put out by Wolves once again.

T. Chalobah

W. Fofana

80' Chalobah is on for Chelsea now, with Fofana now departing. That's all their changes.

79' Ultimately, the hosts have given just as good today though. They've had less ball, but have muscled forward enough to ensure they are not starved of chances too.

77' Time really is running out for Chelsea to salvage something here. This was far from the return result they will have wanted for Lampard.

Pablo Sarabia

Matheus Cunha

75' Cunha also exits for the hosts, with Sarabia arriving to take his place.

Adama Traoré

M. Lemina

74' Wolves make further changes with Traore on for Lemina.

72' Wolves have won each of their last three Premier League home games against sides starting the day above them in the table They have never previously won four.

70' Semedo gets between Aubameyang and the delivery aimed at his head, managing to put the Blues man off his target and nudge wide of the mark.

P. Aubameyang

João Félix

68' Chelsea begin a fresh slate of rotations, with Aubameyang on for Felix.

M. Mudryk

R. Sterling

68' Sterling bows out as swap number four for Lampard, who brings on Mudryk.

B. Chilwell

Marc Cucurella

68' Chilwell is the Blues' third swap, replacing Cucurella.

C. Gallagher

Yellow Card

67' Gallagher goes into the book after he is shown a yellow card for coming in on Dawson.

66' Gallagher attempts to push an effort from the edge of the box as Chelsea move forward again. The Blues have to start pressing deep if they want a result.

João Moutinho

Daniel Podence

64' The hosts make a second swap, introducing Moutinho in place of Podence.

Hwang Hee-Chan

Diego Costa

63' Former Chelsea man Costa makes way for Wolves, who bring on Hwang in their first change.

R. Sterling

Yellow Card

63' Sterling is the latest player to go into the book, with the Chelsea winger handed a yellow card after he comes in with a heavy foul.

C. Pulišić

K. Havertz

61' Chelsea make the first change of the game, with Pulisic on for Havertz.

João Gomes

Yellow Card

59' Joao Gomes picks up a yellow card now too, after he brings Felix down just outside the Wolves box.

57' It's all going on right now! Chelsea appeal for a penalty against Joao Gomes over a potential handball, and there is a long VAR look. While that happens, both teams go end-to-end with half-chances.

55' Cunha tries his luck from distance, with a 35-yard effort that weaves wide of the mark. A second may kill this game off for good.

53' Chelsea have picked up just 16 points from 14 away games in the Premier League this season (W4 D4 L6), their lowest return after 14 road games in a single campaign since 2000-01.

51' The atmosphere inside Molineux is particularly jolly right now. Even if Wolves are pinned back for a draw, a point is still a point in their relegation battle.

Marc Cucurella

Yellow Card

49' Nunes is felled by Cucurella and the Chelsea man is shown a yellow card for his troubles.

48' There's got to be a response from the Blues, surely. They were not at rock-bottom in that first half, but they cannot complain about being behind either.

46' We're back underway at Molineux. Can Wolves cling on for an almighty result or will Chelsea fight back to give Lampard something to shout about?

Chelsea have only lost three of their 19 meetings with Wolves in all competitions this century (W12 D4).

An astonishing Matheus Nunes volley means it is Wolves on top against Chelsea in the Premier League so far. This is not the return Frank Lampard would have envisioned, but there's a long way to go. At half-time, it is Wolves 1-0 Chelsea.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: WOLVES 1-0 CHELSEA

44' There will be one added minute in the first half of this clash.

42' Felix tries again, and this time Sa is able to make the save as he dips a low shot towards goal. The keeper won't be tested by that.

41' Now Felix gets into the heart of the attack, but sees his shot blocked. James did well to feed him there.

M. Lemina

Yellow Card

39' Lemina trims Felix with a late challenge and the Chelsea man gives it the full hysterics. That will be a booking for the Wolves player.

37' Costa almost makes it two! That could have been the double for Wolves, were it not for Kepa's keen work. The hosts are on the prowl.

35' Will that goal stun the Blues out of their lethargy though? Only time will tell, but it is absolutely bouncing inside Molineux right now. This would be a huge win in their season.

33' Marco van Basten in 1988, anybody? What an absolutely superb hit, one that is destined for end-of-season highlight reels. Chelsea have a lot of work to do now.

Matheus Nunes

Goal

31' GOAL! WOLVES SEIZE THE LEAD! 1-0! Nunes has just scored a sensational volley! The hosts work their way across the box, see their delivery headed as far as the Portugal man and he has his first club goal with a rocket of a right-footer into the far side of the net!

29' Podence feels he should have a penalty after James fells him in the box. The flag is up, but for offside against him however and Chelsea are let off the hook.

27' Lemina! That's probably the best chance of the game. After Fofana concedes a corner off a free-kick delivery, the Wolves man just wrestles at attempt wide.

25' Molineux comes to its feet for a breakaway down the right flank. The final pass goes awry, yet that won't dampen the spirits of the fans, urging their team forward.

23' Costa trims James now and the free-kick goes Chelsea's way. The Blues are looking a bit flat, and their hosts are starting to feed off a partisan crowd.

21' Under Lopetegui, Wolves are unbeaten in their three Premier League matches against opponents from London (W2 D1), recording wins at home to West Ham and Spurs.

19' Gallagher and Sterling have back-to-back bites of the ball with Toti getting the crucial block in the second time. It's a corner, and Wolves defend it once more.

17' Once again, Chelsea see off the danger. There's no real sign of an opener in this contest so far. How will Lampard be finding his return to action?

15' Another Wolves corner again, this time with Koulibaly the man defending the attack from the hosts. The Blues look a little agitated at the back.

13' The delivery is good but Chelsea are firm enough to shut down the danger. There's been few clear-cut chances across these opening exchanges.

11' The set-piece does not stick, and a subsequent foray for Felix comes to nothing for Chelsea. Wolves promptly counter and get a corner of their own.

9' Fernandez, animated around the midfield area, looks to dictate the tempo for the visitors. They are showing intent and win another corner.

7' Fofana concedes a corner now, and the hosts muscle downfield. They cannot make it stick however and Chelsea come away cleanly from their box.

5' Now the big Wolves forward is caught by the offside flag as Lemina looks to slip the ball through to him.

3' An early Blues corner is seen off easily enough by Sa, though there's a moment of panic as Costa gives away the ball cheaply on the counter.

1' We are underway in this Premier League clash between Wolves and Chelsea!

Here come the teams and we are moments away from kick-off.

Chelsea haven’t won either of their last two league visits to Molineux though, (D1 L1) since winning 5-2 in September 2019 under Lampard.

Wolves are winless in their last four Premier League games against Chelsea (D3 L1) since beating them 2-1 at Molineux in December 2020.

But it does mean that the new boss will get a first taste of Sterling in a managerial capacity. The pair played together for the Three Lions, in a testament to the forward's longevity.

The absence of Mount, reportedly through injury, is a blow for Lampard. The England man, who has had an unsettled season at Stamford Bridge, was always one of his favourites.

Substitutes: Edouard Mendy, Benoit Badiashile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mykhailo Mudryk, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ben Chilwell, Christian Pulisic, Trevoh Chalobah, Denis Zakaria.

CHELSEA (4-3-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella; Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic; Kai Havertz, Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling

Substitutes: Joao Moutinho, Nathan Collins, Hugo Bueno, Pablo Sarabia, Daniel Bentley, Joseph Hodge, Hwang Hee-Chan, Pedro Neto, Adama Traore.

WOLVES (4-4-2): Jose Sa; Nelson Semedo, Craig Dawson, Max Kilman, Toti, Daniel Podence, Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes, Matheus Nunes; Diego Costa, Matheus Cunha.

In his first game back, Lampard brings in Raheem Sterling and Conor Gallagher, but there is no Mason Mount. Wolves make three swaps, with Diego Costa set to face his old club.

Heading into today's game just a point above the relegation zone, Wolves and Julen Lopetegui have their work cut out. The fight to avoid the drop is on, and they won't want to lose.

It's going to be a tough task, with Europe seemingly a pipe dream for the team. For now, they have the pressing concern of a host fighting to keep their place at the top table.

Hired on a short-term deal, former Everton boss Lampard has been tasked with dragging the squad he inherited from Graham Potter through the end of the season.

So, the man, the myth, the legend then. Two permanent bosses since he last sat in the box seat at Stamford Bridge, the all-time Blues great is back where he once was.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2022-23 Premier League season, as Chelsea begin their second life under Frank Lampard with a trip to face Wolves at Molineux!

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea Live Commentary, 08/04/2023

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