Wolverhampton Wanderers produced a miraculous performance to overturn the odds and beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Molineux on Wednesday night to climb up to 12th in the Premier League standings.
Nuno Santo’s men had accumulated 15 points from their first 8 top-flight games but their campaign was tottering after five defeats in their last six Premier League outings.
Wolves looked set for yet another humbling when Conor Coady’s headed clearance off Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s effort from the edge of the box found the back of his own net, putting the visitors in the driver’s seat just 18 minutes into the game.
Chelsea had the lion share of the possession and continued to create chances. Eden Hazard played Willian in behind the backline with a delightful pass and the Brazilian was clear through on goal, only to be denied by an excellent last-ditch diving challenge by Ryan Bennett.
N’Golo Kante could have doubled the advantage for the visitors but the Frenchman wasn’t clinical enough and scuffed his shot wide from close range.
Maurizio Sarri’s men had a glorious opportunity to extend their lead early in the second half as Hazard and Loftus-Cheek combined really well in the final third but Alvaro Morata failed to connect with Loftus-Cheek’s cross from the left, Willy Boly doing just enough to put off the Spaniard.
Wolves were looking for that one moment of inspiration to get back into the game and they soon found one, albeit from an unlikely source. Morgan Gibbs-White, who was handed his first start in the Premier League by Nuno Santo, turned the game on its head with a moment of brilliance.
The 18-year-old rode through the challenges of Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger to set up Raul Jimenez, who clinically guided the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga to restore parity for the home side. As much as Kepa was to blame for letting a rather straightforward shot go in, Andreas Christensen deserves a fair share of the blame for not closing down the Mexican quickly enough.
Inspired by the equaliser, Wolves showed more urgency in the final third and they took the lead within four minutes. Matt Doherty’s cross from the right was turned in by Diogo Jota at the far post in the 63rd-minute, erupting wild celebrations at Molineux.
Chelsea pushed for an equaliser and Cesc Fabregas had a wonderful opportunity to ensure that both the teams finished with a point apiece but the Spaniard shot over the bar from close range.
The defeat leaves Chelsea 4th in the Premier League standings and it will be interesting to see how Maurizio Sarri lifts the spirits of his team as the Blues get ready to play host to Manchester City on Saturday for a top of the table clash.