Wolves vs Chelsea final score, result, highlights as Blues are beaten in Premier League Christmas Eve game

Joe Wright

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Wolves vs Chelsea final score, result, highlights as Blues are beaten in Premier League Christmas Eve game image

On Sunday, Chelsea handed a debut to their away kit for the 2023/24 Premier League season. For reasons that are not entirely clear, it's blue: a darker blue than their home jersey, for sure, but blue nonetheless.

It would normally be strange for a football team to have a change of shirt that isn't particularly different to their usual one, but it somehow feels appropriate for Chelsea — a team that, to all intents and purposes, is a strange one.

Mauricio Pochettino is overseeing an outfit simultaneously in transition and stuck in a rut. They are blessed with multiple, multi-million attackers but don't seem to play a system that suits any of them. They like to control possession but look more dangerous playing on the counter-attack. It is growing more difficult by the week to ascertain exactly what the plan is, whether the billion-pound squad has enough quality in it, or what Pochettino's ideal system looks like.

They came to Wolves buoyed by a comeback and penalty-shootout win over Newcastle United to reach the Carabao Cup semifinals four days ago. They left at the end of a deserved 2-1 defeat, during which only one team had a clear plan and method of carrying it out — and it wasn't the team wearing whatever blue that was.

Wolves vs Chelsea final score

  Fulltime Goalscorers
WOL 2 Lemina (51'), Doherty (90+3')
CHE 1 Nkunku (90 + 6')

Lineups:

Wolves (3-4-2-1, right to left): Sa (GK) — Kilman, Dawson (S. Bueno, 70'), Toti — Semedo, Lemina, Gomes, Ait-Nouri (H. Bueno, 76') — Hwang, Sarabia (Doyle, 75') — Cunha (Doherty, 86')

Chelsea (4-3-3, right to left): Petrovic (GK) — Gusto (Badiashile, 80'), Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill (Maatsen, 80') — Ugochukwu (Nkunku, 59'), Gallagher — Sterling, Palmer, Jackson (Madueke, 80') — Broja (Mudryk, 59')

This was the first Christmas Eve Premier League game since 1995. Chelsea supporters who made the difficult trip to the Midlands on December 24 sported Santa hats in the away section of Molineux. Blue hats, of course (another different blue).

What they witnessed was a fourth consecutive away defeat in the top flight, a run that leaves Chelsea in 10th place in the table. They have fewer points than they did at this stage of last season under Graham Potter, and they're 14 adrift of the top four. They have spent upwards of $450 million on players since Potter lost his job, yet they are closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places.

MORE: How Arsenal held Liverpool to a draw to claim top spot for Christmas

They played quite well in the first half-hour, keeping possession and giving the Wolves defence a few worrying moments. They should certainly have taken the lead on 32 minutes, when Raheem Sterling chose to shoot straight at Jose Sa rather than pass the ball sideways to Cole Palmer or Nicolas Jackson, who would have had time to play rock, paper, scissors to decide which of them got the tap-in.

Yet that was the sum total of their control. Pochettino can rightly be frustrated at poor finishing — Chelsea have missed 36 'big chances' in the league this season, more than any other side — but this was hardly a case of the Blues hammering at the Wolves door.

And as soon as the home side applied pressure in the second half, Chelsea wilted.

This was exactly the sort of game Gary O'Neil's team have thrived in this season. At home, they've beaten Manchester City and Tottenham, and drawn with Aston Villa and Newcastle United; they are a side who relish a battle with the big boys, whose players see 50-50 challenges as a gladiatorial, life-or-death matter.

Nobody typifies that better than Mario Lemina. Wolves are a brilliant in the transition and the 30-year-old is ideally suited to that setup. On Christmas Eve, his omnipresence would have put Father Christmas to shame: he harried Chelsea's centre-backs, fought for every blade of grass in the centre-circle, and stopped Armando Broja scoring the opener with a perfectly timed tackle on the Wolves penalty spot. Then, 51 minutes in, he headed home Pablo Sarabia's corner without even needing to jump. He later revealed his father was in hospital and dedicated his player-of-the-match performance to his family.

Chelsea upped the ante as they chased the game, but still there was that glaring lack of purpose. On came Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk and Premier League debutant Christopher Nkunku, joining Sterling and Palmer in attack, and nobody seemed sure where they were supposed to play. Benoit Badiashile was introduced in defence, where his sole contribution was to nudge a cross straight to Matt Doherty to make it 2-0. Even when Nkunku glanced in his first Chelsea goal deep in injury time, there was little rush from teammates to get the game restarted, and little noise from those away fans who had stayed in their seats after Doherty's strike. Wolves saw out the closing moments with minimal fuss, limiting Chelsea to cut-inside-and-cross-it attacks that played more to Sa's strengths than anyone else's.

With seconds left and the centre-backs forward, a long free-kick was punted straight into the Wolves keeper's gloves. Thiago Silva was closest to the cross — a 38-year-old defender, not one of the five forwards Chelsea had on the pitch — but not close enough to actually try to win a header.

He turned back to his own goal, arms outstretched, beseeching someone to tell him what the thinking was. It's something all Chelsea fans must be wondering.

The Sporting News followed the Wolves vs. Chelsea match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen below.

Wolves vs Chelsea live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime: Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

It's all over at Molineux, and it's another big scalp at home for Wolves! They've beaten Man City and Tottenham here, and now they've claimed a deserved win over Chelsea.

90 + 11 mins: Chelsea send up the centre-backs and launch a free-kick forward... but it's too close to Sa. Thiago Silva gestures forlornly towards his teammates.

90 + 9 mins: Sterling gets the ball from Madueke and drives into the box, going to ground as Gomes comes across his path. The Chelsea man is booked for diving, which seems a bit harsh, even if a penalty would have been the wrong call.

90 + 6 mins: GOAL! Chelsea are back in it! Sterling's cross from the right finds Nkunku, who for once is completely unmarked six yards from goal. He nods the ball into the net for his first Premier League goal!

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90 + 3 mins: GOAL! Wolves have surely settled the contest! It's another poor goal for Chelsea to concede. Noni Madueke is dispossessed, Badiashile can only nudge Hwang's cross towards the waiting Matt Doherty, and he coolly slots the ball into the bottom corner.

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90 mins: Sa collects the latest Chelsea cross after making a bit of a mess of the previous one. We'll have 11 (eleven!) minutes of added time.

88 mins: Nkunku has the ball in the Wolves box, waiting for help. Eventually, he slides it through to Palmer, who is ushered to the byline and out of play. The home side have defended really well since taking the lead.

82 mins: Petrovic saves! Wolves have backed off since scoring, but a rare break sees Tommy Doyle line up a shot from the edge of the box. Petrovic saves fairly comfortably to his right.

77 mins: Gusto dithers on the ball, loses it, but Matheus Cunha's shot is into the side netting. There have been three errors leading to shots in this game; the record for one match this season is five, when Chelsea lost 2-1 at Manchester United two and a bit weeks ago.

75 mins: Mudryk's pass back to Gallagher is a little loose and the Chelsea man fouls Hwang as he slides in to try to get the ball. Was that worthy of a second yellow card? The visiting captain might be a bit fortunate there.

66 mins: Brilliant defending from Craig Dawson! Nkunku and Palmer work the ball to Sterling in the area, who has space to set himself and shoot, but Dawson slides across to make a fine block. He hurt himself in the process and is now being treated. He can't continue, and on comes Santiago Bueno.

64 mins: OFF THE LINE! Nkunku thinks he's scored his first Premier League goal, but his poked effort is hoofed away by Toti.

62 mins: Sterling wants a penalty after going to ground over the legs of Toti. The referee instead gives a foul against the Chelsea man. I'm not sure it was a foul either way, but no penalty is certainly a fair decision.

59 mins: Pochettino has seen enough, and here come the changes: Christopher Nkunku is on for his Premier League debut, along with Mykhailo Mudryk.

55 mins: Now it's Jackson who wastes another chance! Yet again, the team in possession loses the ball near their own penalty area, and Jackson has a free run towards goal. He tries to cut back onto his right foot, though, and Semedo steals back the ball. That was not the look of a confident striker.

54 mins: Another chance for Wolves! Disasi's poor touch lets Sarabia break. He squares the ball for Hwang, but Thiago Silva does enough to put him off and stop him getting away a shot. Chelsea are living dangerously here.

51 mins: GOAL! Wolves have started this half well and they have a breakthrough — and it's little surprise that it's come from a set-piece. Sarabia's corner picks out the midfielder in the six-yard box, and he doesn't even have to jump to glance his header into the bottom-left corner. Petrovic seemed to change his mind about coming for the cross, and he could do nothing to stop it.

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50 mins: Good save, Djordje Petrovic! Toti heads goalwards when unmarked at the left-hand post, but Chelsea's keeper gets two hands behind it to parry the effort. It was too close to him, really. That was a good opening.

47 mins: Chance! Thiago Silva slips and Wolves pounce. Gomes shoots from the edge of the box, it strikes Axel Disasi's hand and clips the outside of the post on its way out. There's a check for handball, but nothing is given.

Second half

We're off and running again.

Halftime: Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

Hardly a Christmas cracker, but Sterling and Hwang have both missed really good chances.

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45 + 1 mins: Palmer wins back the ball outside the Wolves box, but his shot is deflected over the bar. The home defence clear their lines following the corner, and that's that for this half.

44 mins: HWANG! Best chance of the half for the home side. A simple ball over the top of the Chelsea defence sees Hwang running clear towards goal. The angle isn't great, but the shot is worse — a rushed effort off the bouncing ball that loops harmlessly over.

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43 mins: Semedo's hanging cross is glanced away and Sarabia's shot from the loose ball is deflected wide by Thiago Silva. Wolves are finishing the half well.

39 mins: Lemina, who's been excellent today, brings down a clearance from Gusto and strikes left-footed towards goal. The ball finds Hwang Hee-chan, but the forward can't quite work enough space for a decent shot.

32 mins: STERLING! What a chance for Chelsea! Jose Sa's pass to Joao Gomes isn't great and Sterling once again wins a 50-50 duel in Wolves' half. He's bearing down on goal, with Jackson and Palmer waiting for a tap-in and only Sa to stop him. Sterling tries to score himself, but it's a poor effort, and Sa makes the save! He's been Chelsea's best player this half, but that was a huge opportunity wasted.

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30 mins: Ait-Nouri, apparently bored on the left wing, takes the ball from out wide and runs right through the heart of Chelsea's midfield. Gallagher trips him over, gets a booking, and now Wolves have a free-kick around 20 yards from goal. Pablo Sarabia strikes it, but it glances off the wall and out for a corner.

28 mins: Sterling robs Semedo of the ball and charges towards the penalty area. Lemina scythes him down, just outside the box, and takes the yellow card. Sterling lines up the free-kick... and it's a few yards over the bar.

25 mins: Chelsea are wearing their 2023/24 away strip for the first time in the Premier League today. It's blue. Alright, it's a darker blue than their home shirt, but it's still blue. Nope, I don't know, either.

21 mins: Sterling lofts a great pass towards Jackson in the penalty area, but the striker can't control it and the chance is gone. That's been the story so far: the visitors have seen final touches letting them down in promising areas, while Wolves have given the ball away far too cheaply in the Chelsea half.

18 mins: Sterling and Nelson Semedo are having a good battle down that Chelsea left. There's a VAR check after the Wolves man leaves Sterling down holding his shin, but there was nothing in that — Sterling simply caught the base of Semedo's boot with his lower leg after the full-back cleared the ball away.

15 mins: Rayan Ait-Nouri sits down on the turf as the ball goes out of play. He seems to have a problem with his ankle. Gary O'Neil uses the stoppage to call over four players and run through some frantic instructions.

11 mins: Wolves are hanging on a little bit here. Malo Gusto's low cross is miscontrolled by Broja, then Sterling just has the ball nudged away from his toe. The home side's defending is a touch desperate, but it's doing the job at the moment.

5 mins: Chances at both ends! Firstly, a Wolves break ends in a Gallagher interception when it looked like Hwang was in space awaiting a pass. Chelsea then counter, Sterling sets up Broja in space in the box, but Lemina times his tackle well just when the striker was about to shoot.

1 min: First thing to note is that Chelsea seem to be going 4-4-2 (at least for now), with Sterling on the left wing, Cole Palmer on the right, and Broja up front with Jackson.

Kickoff

We're off and running in the Midlands!

5 mins to KO: The players are out on the pitch, and it's almost time for kickoff.

15 mins to KO: Conor Gallagher is captain today, yet speculation persists that he could leave Chelsea next month. Why might the Blues consider cashing in on a midfielder who seems important to Mauricio Pochettino's plans? Here's our explainer.

30 mins to KO: After Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup semifinals this week, Raheem Sterling is confident they are making progress despite their lowly league position. 

"There's foundations that always have to be laid. The manager's doing a great job with that," he said to Sky Sports. "We're in a semifinal now. This is a football club that needs to be challenging at the top of the table and winning trophies. We're making little steps in the right direction."

Team news

Wolves make two changes from their 3-0 defeat at West Ham a week ago. Jose Sa is back in goal in place of Daniel Bentley, while Rayan Ait-Nouri starts instead of Jeanricner Bellegarde.

For Chelsea, Malo Gusto comes in for Benoit Badiashile, meaning Axel Disasi shifts to centre-back. Lesley Ugochukwu starts alongside Conor Gallagher, who is captain today, while Armando Broja joins Nicolas Jackson in attack. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are not in the squad.

1 hour 30 mins to KO: Chelsea start today in 10th place in the table, with 22 points from 17 games — three points worse off than they were at this stage last season, when pressure was building on then-manager Graham Potter.

The gap to the top four this term is already 14 points. Can Mauricio Pochettino really afford another defeat?

2 hours to KO: Hello and welcome to the Sporting News' live coverage of Chelsea's trip to Wolves. The Blues will have their work cut out keeping out a Wolves side that has scored in 16 successive home games — their longest such run in 43 years. 

Mauricio Pochettino of Chelsea
Getty Images

Wolves vs Chelsea lineups, team news

Wolves make two changes from their 3-0 defeat at West Ham a week ago. Jose Sa is back in goal in place of Daniel Bentley, while Rayan Ait-Nouri starts instead of Jeanricner Bellegarde.

Pedro Neto is back in training but is not risked, with Nelson Semedo returning from illness.

Wolves (3-4-2-1, right to left): Sa (GK) — Kilman, Dawson, Toti — Semedo, Lemina, Gomes, Ait-Nouri — Hwang, Sarabia — Cunha

Wolves subs (9): Bentley, Doherty, S. Bueno, H. Bueno, Kalajdzic, Doyle, Barnett, Chirewa, Hesketh

Malo Gusto comes in for Benoit Badiashile, meaning Axel Disasi shifts to centre-back. Lesley Ugochukwu starts alongside Conor Gallagher, who is captain today, while Armando Broja joins Nicolas Jackson in attack. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are not in the squad.

Chelsea (4-3-3, right to left): Petrovic (GK) — Gusto, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill — Ugochukwu, Gallagher — Sterling, Palmer, Jackson — Broja

Chelsea subs (9): Bettinelli, Bergstrom, Badiashile, Maatsen, Lavia, Matos, Madueke, Mudryk, Nkunku

Wolves vs Chelsea live stream, TV channel

The Wolves vs. Chelsea match in the Premier League takes place at Molineux in Wolverhampton, UK and kicks off on Sunday, December 24 at 1:00 p.m. local time.

Below are the corresponding times, TV channels, and live streams to watch the match in regions around the world

IN CANADA: Watch this match in 4k on Fubo Canada (on 4k devices)

  Date Kickoff time TV Streaming
USA Sun, Dec. 24  8 a.m. ET NBC USA Network Fubo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBC Sports App
Canada Sun, Dec. 24 8 a.m. ET — Fubo Canada
UK Sun, Dec. 24  1 p.m. GMT Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League Sky GO, Now TV
Australia Mon, Dec. 25 12 a.m. AEST — Optus Sport
India Sun, Dec. 24 6.30 p.m. IST — Hotstar VIP,
JioTV

UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.

USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streamed exclusively via Fubo in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.

India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.