Chelsea back to fourth after uninspired 3-1 win over toothless Wolves
By Paul Lagan at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 3 v Wolves 1
39, 221
Three strikes and you are out and that's exactly what happened to Wolves as they were undone- 3-1 by an average Chelsea performance tonight at Stamford Bridge.
The result, with goals from, Tosin, Marc Cucurella and Noni, were just about enough to overcome a stubborn, but rudimentary Wolves outfit, who had the audacity to equalise just before half-time.
Chelsea return to the Champions League berth of fourth, two points ahead of Manchester City who they play at the weekend, while the visitors languish above the drop zone on goal difference alone.
It was Chelsea's first league win in six which had seen the plummet from title contenders to clinging on to fourth sport by their fingernails.
It was a typical start by the Blues, lots of movement, good possession, but a lack of finishing, Noni and Nicolas Jackson had half-chances, that just needed that elite execution.
Dewsbury-Hall could be added to that list on 12 minutes when his curling, left-footer went wide of Sa,'s right post.
Cole Palmer at least got his left footed, daisy-driver on target on 17 minutes. Sa managed to parry the ball away but there was no Chelsea players following up.
Matheus Cunha had a wayward shot on 22 mi jutes.
Doherty almost gifted a goal to Chelsea a minute later when he headed the ball back to Sa, but missed him. But he managed to recover.
But seconds later VAR intervened on a Tosin close-range goal after the linesman gave it offside.
VAR saw that while several Chelsea players were in offside positions, the centre-back was not and VAR gave him his first goal for the west Londoners since his arrival from Fulham.
On the stroke of half time Robert Sanchez missed the ball from a conner he dropped it into the grateful foot of Doherty who toe-;poked it home from close range.
Chelsea were frankly terrible in the opening phase of the second half but just before Enzo Maresca was about to bring on Jadon Sancho, on 60 minutes, Noni sent the ball in from the right, Dewsbury-Hall nodded it on and Cucurella was on the six-yard spot to stop it and then tap it past Sa to put Chelsea 2-1 up.
He then brought on the on-loan winger for Pedro Neto.
Number three came close on 66 minutes. A clipped, deep Palmer free-kick saw Trevoh Chalobah head the ball back across goal where Noni had the simplest of chances to nod home unchallenged.
Maresca then brought on Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi – off went James, Dewsbury-Hall – both on 75 minutes.
Tyrique George and Joao Felix were brought on six minutes later – off went Palmer, and Noni.
The game then petered out, as expected until the final whistle was blown
Teams: Chelsea: Sanchez, Cucurella, Tosin, Neto, Noni, Jackson, Palmer, Dewsbury-Hall
Chalobah, James, Caicedo
Subs: Jorgensen, Disasi, Felix, Nkunku, Sancho, Gusto, Acheampong, Guiu
Wolves, Sa, Doherty, Ait-Nouri, Bueno, Andre, Gomes, Strand Larsen, Cunha, Agbadou, Sarabia, Semedo
Subs: Johnstone, Hee-Chan, Dawson, Gomes, Doyle, Forbs, Bellegarde, Guedes, Lima
Referee:Simon Hooper
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