The elongated 2019/20 season came to a close with both Wolves and Chelsea needing positive results in order to solidify their positions in the league to qualify for their respective European competitions. The first half was a cagey affair, but in stoppage time, Chelsea capitalised on proceedings by scoring two quick goals, which later turned out to be the goals to secure a 2-0 win.
Rui Patricio
Other than during first half stoppage time, Patricio did not have a lot to deal with throughout the game. Mount curled an inch-perfect free kick into the back of the net and after his defence were in no man’s land, he had to take the initiative to try and close Giroud down, veering the forward off course but ultimately was let down by his teammates, as the Frenchman scored the second.
6/10
Matt Doherty
For the most part, Doherty did ok on his 300th appearance, he made a nice flurried run in the first half, but couldn’t pick out a teammate as he crossed into the box. He had a few good duels with Marcos Alonso down that flank too. He was taken off early in the second half, which played a part in restricting Traore’s effect on the game.
6/10
Willy Boly
In my personal opinion, out of the three centre backs, Boly was the only one who can really come out with some credibility from this game. He imposed himself physically against the Chelsea attackers and also made a few good blocks throughout the game. Wolves usually defend better with Boly in the team, but he cannot do it all by himself.
6/10
Conor Coady
Coady has consistently been a top performer this season for Wolves, but in both games against Chelsea this season he has struggled. I am not quite sure what was going through his mind, as he allowed Giroud to slip in and score, all that needed to be done was for him to clear his lines, but he failed to do this. I do feel that Coady struggles against physical strikers and this is something that opposition teams have noticed.
5/10
Romain Saiss
Saiss is a player who seems to blow hot and cold so often and these inconsistencies are factors that will lead to him being phased out of the team. He was caught out for the Chelsea 2nd and considering he is a midfielder by trade, his ability on the ball is questionable at times. I think he has done a decent job in that position, but there has to be a reason why Wolves are constantly linked with new centre backs.
5/10
Jonny Otto
After such a positive contribution against Palace, Jonny failed to deliver the goods again. He lost the ball a lot and also struggled to attack against the defensively sound James and Azpilicueta. He was withdrawn from the game in the second half as Nuno tried to add more attacking bite.
5/10
Ruben Neves
Another decent performance from Neves, but at times, things weren’t always on, this was a testament to Chelsea’s pressing nature, as they tried to stop Wolves’ key men from playing. He did well in his defensive duties and tried to put a foot in to stop the second goal, but a series of calamities led to the inevitable happening.
6/10
Leander Dendoncker
Just like his midfield partner, Dendoncker offered a physical presence in the midfield and tried to stop the Chelsea players from playing, but the fluidity in the Chelsea team was too much to handle at times. He has been one of Wolves’ star players since the restart and should look to build on this for the vital European game(s).
6/10
Pedro Neto
When on the ball, Neto tried to make things happen, but Chelsea’s positioning and closing down made things a bit harder. He was judged to have fouled Alonso for the Mount goal, but replays showed that he actually pulled out of his challenge. Neto was taken off at half time, for a straight swap with Traore. A decent first season for the youngster.
5/10
Raul Jimenez
A poor performance from Wolves’ usually reliable man. He carried the ball to no effect at times and also didn’t give the Chelsea defenders anything to worry about. He was fortunate that his elbow wasn’t a few inches higher after a VAR review for aggressive conduct. After a joyous week of welcoming his new child into the world, he may have had a few sleepless nights.
4/10
Diogo Jota
Something is not clicking at the moment like it usually does with Jota and it’s hard to keep justifying reasons for his starting berth. I was surprised to see him stay on at the start of the second half, with Nuno opting to withdraw Neto, but even with this, Jota didn’t kick on. His form in Europe has been red hot this season, so Wolves will be hoping to see that ‘Diogo Jota’ instead of the one on display today.
4/10
Subs
Adama Traore
He tried to create a few more problems for the Chelsea defence when he came on in the second half, with his trademark dribbling skills. Later on, in the half, Nuno decided to push Traore to the right wingback position and this effectively ended any further issues for Chelsea. He did well defensively when asked, but this is not what he should be used for.
6/10
Ruben Vinagre
Vinagre was brought on as part of a triple sub in order to add some attacking threat to the team. Chelsea were aware of this and every time he had the ball, there were Chelsea bodies around him. He has improved in his defensive side of his game but didn’t test Chelsea enough from an attacking perspective.
5/10
Daniel Podence
When the team sheets were announced, I was surprised to see that Podence was not starting, after a series of impressive displays since being integrated into the playing squad. He tried to create a few problems, but the usually dynamic duo of Podence and Traore didn’t worry Chelsea too much.
5/10
Joao Moutinho
Another player that many fans may have been surprised to see on the bench. When he came on, Moutinho tried to make things happen and tried a few searching passes to get his team in, but nothing which caused any problems.
5/10
Bruno Jordao
It was nice to see him make an appearance after being unlucky to not get on against Palace. There was not enough to report on his performance.
N/A
Roneil Callo is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him on Twitter here.