Cunha hat-trick hands struggling Chelsea another heavy defeat
CHELSEA 2 WOLVES 4
C Palmer 19’ M Cunha 22,’ 63,’ 82’ (p) T Silva 86’ A Disasi 43’ (og)
Chelsea’s weakness in defence was exposed emphatically as a hat-trick from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha saw the visitors come from behind to grab a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea needed a strong reply after losing 4-1 at Liverpool midweek. They did so, briefly.
The sides exchanged half-chances during the opening 15 minutes, Cunha and Pedro Neto drawing decent saves from Djordje Petrovic in Chelsea’s goal, while at the other end Cole Palmer saw a left-footed shot deflect wide from outside the box and Christopher Nkunku was blocked by Jose Sa as he ran through on goal.
Then, Chelsea when went ahead in the 20th minute. The game needed a spark of inspiration, and it came from Moises Caicedo. Chelsea’s record signing collected the ball centrally midway inside the Wolves half and with precision found the run of Cole Palmer. Caicedo’s pass did the hard part for him, and Chelsea’s top scorer placed it first-time into the corner with a cool flick of the boot.
But Chelsea’s lead lasted just three minutes, with Cunha’s shot taking a hefty deflection off Thiago Silva to leave Blues keeper Petrovic wrong-footed as it whistled into the net.
Mauricio Pochettino could barely watch in the 43rd minute when Rayan Ait Nouri’s shot deflected in for an own goal off Chelsea defender Axel Disasi. The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge became even more tense in the 63rd minute as Neto teed up Cunha to drive in Wolves’ third goal.
Cunha’s 82nd minute penalty, awarded when he was fouled by Malo Gusto, capped a miserable afternoon for Pochettino.
Chelsea did pull things back a bit with Silva’s close-range finish in the 86th minute, but the game was gone by that time.
Chelsea supporters were angry with their team’s slow pace and a perceived lack of fight, making their feelings known at half-time in a furious chorus of boos. But things only got worse after that, and could remain so for some time.
It has been an uninspiring first season in charge for Pochettino and the former Tottenham boss is certain to face questions about his future unless results improve quickly.
Pochettino’s side were booed off by home fans at the end of a second loss in four days, while the name of former owner Roman Abramovich ringing around the ground. Meanwhile, a brilliant strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi earned Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
Pochettino’s side were booed off by home fans at Stamford Bridge at the end of a second defeat in four days