Frank Lampard gestures on the touchline during the English Premier
League football match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park
in Liverpool, north west England on December 12, 2020. PETER POWELL
/ POOL / AFP
Frank Lampard believes Chelsea have become complacent
after the Blues blew a lead to lose 2-1 at Wolves and suffer
back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time during his
reign in charge.
Twice in four days Chelsea have wasted the chance to move top of
the Premier League after losing for the first time in 18 matches at
Everton on Saturday.
Lampard himself called into question his side’s title
credentials after a 1-0 loss at Goodison Park at the weekend and
believes his players may have got carried away with their unbeaten
run.
“Performance is what gives you results. We were playing very
well, on a long unbeaten run and then maybe the lads think ‘we’re
playing well’. The minute you think you’re playing well, things
like this can happen,” said a visibly irked Lampard after Pedro
Neto broke clear to win the game in the 95th minute.
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“If you’re not playing well which we weren’t tonight, hang on to
the 1-0. Play, control the game, and don’t allow counter attacks
like we did.”
There was more evidence that Chelsea are still a team in
transition after a £220 million ($294 million) transfer spending
spree as two of their big money signings, Timo Werner and Kai
Havertz, again failed to sparkle.
Lampard’s men remain in fifth, three points adrift of Tottenham
and Liverpool at the top, ahead of a clash between the top two at
Anfield on Wednesday.
Victory was no more than Wolves deserved as they bounced back
from two consecutive defeats since losing top scorer Raul Jimenez
to a fractured skull.
“We reacted well,” said Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo. “I
think we were always in the game. We were well organised and
second-half we played really well.”
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Chelsea disappoint
Other than bursts from Christian Pulisic past the struggling
Nelson Semedo, Chelsea created precious little from open play.
Set-pieces caused Wolves more problems as Olivier Giroud headed
over when he should have hit the target before Kurt Zouma crashed a
header from another corner off the crossbar.
Giroud was razor sharp four minutes into the second-half as he
volleyed Ben Chilwell’s cross towards goal and the ball slipped
through Rui Patricio’s grasp and just over the line.
Portuguese midfielder Pedro Neto (2R) celebrates scoring his team’s
second goal with teammates during the English Premier League
football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at the
Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on December 15,
2020. (R) Michael Steele / POOL / AFP
Going behind awakened Wolves and Fabio Silva was denied his
first Premier League goal since a 40 million euro ($47 million £36
million) move from Porto by an offside flag.
Wolves had not scored in two games since losing Jimenez to a
sickening head knock suffered in a 2-1 win at Arsenal.
But Daniel Podence produced a moment of magic as he twisted and
turned inside the Chelsea box to find space for a shot and his
effort deflected off Reece James and inside Edouard Mendy’s near
post.
Chelsea’s record signing Havertz had another night to forget.
The German international was replaced by Mateo Kovacic, while Tammy
Abraham replaced the injured Giroud as Lampard went in search of a
winner.
Yet, it was Wolves who looked the more likely winners in the
closing stages.
Neto thought he had won a penalty when driving past James, but
after a VAR review referee Stuart Attwell overturned his original
decision as there was no contact on the Portuguese winger.
However, Neto was not to be denied on the counter-attack deep
into stoppage time as he accelerated past Zouma and drove low into
the far corner to move Wolves into the top half of the table and
within three points of the top four.
AFP