HOT-SHOT JOTA HAS51 SARRI FEELING BLUE
WHAT began as an evening where one England youth looked to have taken a chance long waited for, finished up with another seizing the spotlight all for himself. This was a match where Morgan Gibbs-White gave uplifting proof of his enormous talent.
Starting his first Premier League game, the 18-yearold did not wilt when his team went behind against Chelsea, instead becoming the catalyst for a comeback that electrified Molineux and left Maurizio Sarri’s side ten points off Manchester City.
Sarri tinkered with his team, giving opportunity to those who have been banging on his door, but was left to rue a second defeat of the campaign after the loss to Tottenham a fortnight ago.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, that other English star did at least do well, scoring a deflected goal that gave Chelsea an 18th-minute lead. But the impact of Alvaro Morata and Willian was minimal, and Sarri did not even offer a glance when the pair were taken off late on.
His opposite number, Nuno Espirito Santo, was a whirring dynamo on the sidelines as the seconds ticked down, one part manager, sending on substitutes to see out victory, one part conductor, cajoling the supporters in the stands to raise the volume.
After no wins in six, this was as good a result for Wolves as it was bad for Chelsea, alleviating the doubts that had begun to creep into the club.
It had seemed the match would follow a different course, with Loftus-Cheek pivotal.
The last time Loftus-Cheek started a Premier League game for Chelsea, Guus Hiddink was trying to piece together the shards of a squad left by Jose Mourinho.
It was April 2016 and the fixture against Manchester City was inconsequential. So this was certainly a rare experience for him, a match that mattered.
After scoring off the bench against Fulham, Loftus-Cheek merited inclusion as Maurizio Sarri decided he could rotate his team. The Italian dropped Jorginho and started Cesc Fabregas and Andreas Christensen, two more players with potential moves on the mind. Nuno Espirito Santo has been trying to find a way to reinvigorate his Wolves team and he made four changes for this game, giving Gibbs-White his first Premier League start.
The 18-year-old won the Under17s World Cup with England and has this season delivered a series of sparkling midfield displays off the bench.
And to begin with, it looked a tactical masterstroke. GibbsWhite was Wolves’ source of energy, in one run shooting past Fabregas then cutting inside Willian to start a counter-attack. He slipped a neat pass to Diogo Jota for a chance, and turned N’Golo Kante to earn a foul.
But then Loftus-Cheek made a telling impression. Picking up the ball from Eden Hazard, he cut inside and fired a shot that Rui Patricio would have gobbled up. However, Conor Coady tried to deflect it wide, but only succeeded in glancing the ball past the Wolves goalkeeper.
But gradually Wolves regained a footing, and began to rekindle memories of testing Manchester City here in August. They were compact, and sprung forward with intensity.
Their best move of the half saw Ruben Vinagre whip a fine cross that Raul Jimenez headed down, and only an excellent tackle by Fabregas prevented Gibbs-White from having a clear finish.
Their second-half comeback was aided in part by the officiating. Jon Moss became enemy No 1 for a number of debatable calls against the home side, but seconds into the second half he took no action when Willy Boly looked to have taken out Alvaro Morata as he was about to score. The reprieve galvanised Wolves, who struck twice in four minutes.
Just before the hour Gibbs-White got the moment his performance deserved as he bullied Fabregas off the ball, then slipped a perfect pass in to set Jimenez clear. Jimenez can sometimes hesitate in front of goal but here he struck with conviction, powering the ball through Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Santo exploded, his eyes bulging up at the directors’ box behind him, and just as he caught his breath his team took the lead.
Moutinho dispossessed Willian with a shoulder that the Chelsea forward thought should have been punished, then fed Matt Doherty on the overlap. Doherty continued his habit for attacking effectiveness, crossing low to the back post where Jota was waiting to tap in.
WOLVES (3-4-3): Patricio 7; Bennett 7.5, Coady 7.5, Boly 7.5; Doherty 7.5, Moutinho 7.5, Saiss 7, Vinagre 7.5; Gibbs-White 8.5 (H Costa 72min, 6.5), Jimenez 8 (Dendoncker 81) Jota 8 (Cavaleiro 88). Subs not used: Ruddy, Hause, Traore, Bonatini. Scorers: Jimenez 59, Jota 63. Booked: Saiss, Moutinho, Coady, Vinagre. Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo 8. CHELSEA (4-3-3): Kepa 5 Azpilicueta 6, Rudiger 6.5, Christensen 6, Alonso 6; Kante 6.5 (Kovavic 77), Fabregas 7, Loftus-Cheek 7; Willian 5 (Pedro 65, 6), Morata 4.5 (Giroud 65, 6), Hazard 6.5. Subs not used: Caballero, Zappacosta, Luiz, Jorginho. Scorer: Loftus-Cheek 18. Booked: Fabregas, Alonso, Christensen. Manager: Maurizio Sarri 6 Referee: Jonathan Moss 6.