Memorable night
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 v Chelsea 1
At 5.20pm this evening I received a phone call from a good mate of mine. We’d been exchanging emails during the week about the plight of Wolverhampton Wanderers. It would be stretching it to say that we felt their current circumstance was just a minor blip from which they would recover. We agreed that Manager Nuno’s set up was far too expansive with forwards who were too often isolated and easily dispossessed. We therefore also agreed that he needed to tighten things up by going to something like 4,5,1 a system last used with some success by Mick McCarthy.
My mate’s call was to ask my how I thought Wolves would fair in the evening’s encounter with Chelsea. Based on a somewhat patchy record I said that I didn’t make predictions. But what I did say was that Wolves were the underdogs and that when the pressure is off they tend to play better than in games they are expected to win. And with that we looked forward to the game.
The first hint that Wolves might do better than in their previous two encounters came with a revised 3,5,2 line up which reflected our thoughts. And after the first half in which Wolves conceded a soft goal - when Conor Coady deflected a Ruben Loftus Cheek strike into his own net – I was pretty satisfied with how the Old Gold had faired.
After ten minutes of the second half I was less comfortable. Chelsea bossed the opening exchanges their one touch football leaving Wolves chasing shadows. Their one error was that they failed to make it pay and in minute 59 the home side punished them for their complacency. From deep in his own half Captain Coady sprayed the ball to Matt Doherty who quickly moved it on to Morgan Gibbs-White. We know he can find a pass and here again he did so creating space before releasing Raul Jimenez. This time the Mexican striker’s first touch was more assured than it had been a few minutes earlier and advancing on goal he blasted the ball under keeper Arrizabalaga.
Buoyed by their equaliser Wolves continued to press and four minutes later Diogo Jota collected an errant pass from Christensen on the half way line. He was then forced down a blind channel before passing the ball inside. It fell fortuitously to Joao Moutinho who fed Doherty free on the right. His low cross evaded everyone before reaching Jota at the far post from where he side footed home. Molineux erupted.
With a squad brim full of World Cup stars it was inevitable that Chelsea would continue to press Hazard going close with a rasping drive which flew over the bar on 77 minutes. But Wolves, in contrast to their performance on Friday v Cardiff, wanted the win more. Which was how it ultimately panned out.
The Premier League is a dog eat dog division and Wolves are far from safety. But given the hole in which they found themselves and the quality of the opposition, this was an evening to savour. Out of darkness cometh light it most certainly was.
Wolves: Patricio 6, Bennett 7, Coady 6, Boly 6, Doherty 7, Moutinho 8, Saiss 6, Gibbs White 8 Sub Helder Costa, Vinagre 7, Jota 7 Sub Cavaleiro, Jimenez 7 Sub Dendoncker
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga 6, Aspilicueta 6, Rudigar 6, Chirstensen 6, Alonso 6, Kante 6 Sub Kovatic, Fabregas 6, Loftus Cheek 7, Willian 6 Sub Pedro, Morata 6 Sub Giroud, E Hazard 7
Attendance: 31,300
Referee: Jonathan Moss 7
©Mark Brennand