Wolves v Chelsea LIVE: Premier League team news and line-ups as Armando Broja starts

Wolves continued their stellar home form with a 2-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League thanks to second-half strikes from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty.

Lemina headed in a Pablo Sarabia corner six minutes after halftime to give Wolves the lead before Doherty secured the win for Wolves with a second goal in added time.

Christopher Nkunku netted a consolation goal for Chelsea, his first for the London club since his close-season move, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side could not find an equaliser as they fell to their eighth league defeat of the season.

Follow the live action in the blog below

Premier League: Wolves v Chelsea

FULL TIME! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

90+5’ GOAL! Nkunku pulls one back late on with goal on Premier League debut (WOL 2-1 CHE)

90+2’ GOAL! Doherty punishes woeful Chelsea defending to put Wolves two up (WOL 2-0 CHE)

63’ OFF THE LINE! Toti denies Nkunku as Chelsea hunt for equaliser (WOL 1-0 CHE)

50’ GOAL! Wolves lead as unmarked Lemina heads in from corner (WOL 1-0 CHE)

44’ CHANCE! Hwang blazes over on the break as Wolves grow into it (WOL 0-0 CHE)

32’ CHANCE! Sterling wastes Chelsea three-on-one as Sa saves (WOL 0-0 CHE)

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 2 – 1 Chelsea FC

FULL TIME! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

15:32 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea slumped to a third defeat in four Premier League games as second-half goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty earned Wolves a deserved 2-1 victory at Molineux.

Lemina headed in unmarked from Pablo Sarabia’s corner early in the second period, just reward after Gary O’Neil’s side had weathered early pressure and the hosts had spurned a host of chances, most glaringly from Raheem Sterling.

Chelsea laboured to find a way back, but as so often this season failed to find the key pass in the final third, with Cole Palmer noticeably out of sorts.

Then in stoppage time and with the visitors committed forward, Wolves broke and Hugo Bueno crossed for Doherty to take advantage of a poor clearance to slam home a second.

Substitute Christopher Nkunku headed his first Chelsea goal in the dying minutes, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side slipped to a third away league defeat on the spin.

Wolves punish Raheem Sterling’s glaring miss as Chelsea’s away slump continues

FULL TIME! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

15:22 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea have now also lost four away games in a row in the Premier League – the club’s worst run since 2000.

FULL TIME! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

15:17 , Jamie Braidwood

A harrowing stat for Chelsea fans before Christmas – no Premier League team has lost more games than the Blues in 2023.

19!

FULL TIME! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

15:11 , Jamie Braidwood

Doherty’s goal wrapped up the win for Wolves! It meant Nkunku’s late header counted for nothing, apart from offering Chelsea some hope they finally have the finisher that has been desperately missing.

FULL TIME! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

15:08 , Jamie Braidwood

As for Chelsea… their dismal year continues with another defeat. More questions for Mauricio Pochettino to answer as the Blues suffer another set-back, just as they had some momentum with their Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Newcastle in midweek.

Wasteful in the first half, shambolic defensively in the second, it’s more of the same really.

(Getty Images)

FULL TIME! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

15:01 , Jamie Braidwood

Another brilliant Molineux win for Wolves to wrap up 2023! They move level on points with Chelsea and extended their unbeaten home run to seven games, adding to scalps over Manchester City and Tottenham with this deserved win over Chelsea!

(Getty Images)

Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

15:01 , Jamie Braidwood

90+12 mins: Still playing in the 102nd minute, as Hwang races away! But Silva gets back and does enough. Surely that’s it?!

Wolves 2-1 Chelsea

14:59 , Jamie Braidwood

90+9 mins: Sterling goes to ground in the box looking for a late penalty – and is booked for diving! That means he will also now miss the match against Crystal Palace, as well as Palmer.

GOAL! Wolves 2-1 Chelsea (NKUNKU 90+5’)

14:54 , Jamie Braidwood

Hang on! Chelsea are still alive thanks to a late header from Christopher Nkunku on his Premier League debut. It’s a brilliant finish from Sterling’s cross, stood up to the back post. Nkunku guided it into the far corner to give Chelsea some late hope.

Still four or five minutes still to play…

GOAL! Wolves 2-0 Chelsea (DOHERTY 90+2’)

14:51 , Jamie Braidwood

That’s it! Matt Doherty surely wraps up a brilliant win for Wolves with his first goal on his second spell for the club!

But what a disaster this is for Badiashile. The defender fails to clear a simple cross and allows Doherty to slam home a simple finish.

Pochettino rubs his face – what an awful day this has been for Chelsea.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:49 , Jamie Braidwood

90 mins: ELEVEN MINUTES added on! Good grief. Plenty of time for Chelsea, then.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:48 , Jamie Braidwood

88 mins: Time is running out for Chelsea, although there could be a fair chunk of stoppage time.

Palmer is forced out of play as Wolves drop deep and get numbers behind the ball.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:43 , Jamie Braidwood

84 mins: What is agoing on here?! As Sa gathered, Hwang was on his own on the halfway line with no Chelsea players back to defend. All Sa had to do was release him with a punt downfield, but the goalkeeper boots it out of play! What a waste!

(REUTERS)

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:42 , Jamie Braidwood

83 mins: Better from the visitors. Palmer sets up the overlapping Madueke and Nkunku is not far away from getting on the end of his cross. Nkunku then had another half-chance, but his header is gathered by Sa.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:40 , Jamie Braidwood

81 mins: So bad from Chelsea! Madueke gives it away and then Chelsea fail to engage with Wolves as they come forward. Doyle’s dipping shot is saved by Petrovic but Wolves again had numbers over there. Will they regret not being more clinical?

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:38 , Jamie Braidwood

79 mins: A triple-change now for Chelsea: Noni Madueke, Benoît Badiashile and Ian Maatsen are on for Jackson, Colwill and Gusto, so Chelsea are going to shift things around.

Both starting strikers and both starting full-backs are off for Chelsea now.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:35 , Jamie Braidwood

77 mins: Wasted chance from Wolves, as Chelsea lose the ball and the hosts counter. Wolves were faced with a four-on-four, with Chelsea’s midfield nowhere to be seen, but substitute Tommy Doyle can only scuff a shot at Petrovic.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:33 , Jamie Braidwood

74 mins: Mudryk gives the ball away and Gallagher, who is on a yellow, has to stretch. The Chelsea captain catches Hwang and is lucky that isn’t another yellow card. Chelsea are toiling here.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:29 , Jamie Braidwood

69 mins: Dawson is unable to continue after picking up that injury while saving his team. He’s replaced by the Uruguay international defender Santiago Bueno as Wolves look to hold on to another impressive home win at Molineux.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:27 , Jamie Braidwood

68 mins: There have been a flurry of bookings in this second half, including for Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson – both for dissent. It means Palmer will miss Chelsea’s next game against Crystal Palace. Daft.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:25 , Jamie Braidwood

65 mins: Surely this time – no! Nice move from Chelsea, as Nkunku fakes a shot and shifts it to Palmer on the edge, who finds the open Sterling! The goal was gaping but Dawson gets across brilliantly to get the sliding challenge in. The Wolves defender is hurt but he’s saved his team.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:22 , Jamie Braidwood

63 mins: OFF THE LINE! Chelsea have woken up at last! And it’s almost a debut goal for Nkunku! The France international prods a finish through a host of bodies but Toti Gomes was on the line to boot clear – Chelsea denied by an inch or two!

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:21 , Jamie Braidwood

61 mins: PENALTY? No! Sterling goes to ground after tripping over Toti Gomes, but the referee points the other way! Weird one, and Chelsea are furious. It looked clumy from Gomes but also quite opportunistic from Sterling rather than an actually foul.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:18 , Jamie Braidwood

59 mins: Double change for Chelsea – Christopher Nkunku is on for his Premier League debut, while Mykhailo Mudryk is introduced as well.

Ugochukwu and Broja make way – both were poor.

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:17 , Jamie Braidwood

57 mins: Just to sum up Chelsea, Jackson has another half chance as he gets played through into the box. He had some work to do but had no control or confidence in the situation and the chance quickly disappears.

Time for some changes…

Wolves 1-0 Chelsea

14:14 , Jamie Braidwood

53 mins: Chelsea, what are you doing? Disasi gives the ball away cheaply as Wolves come forward – it’s fed to Hwang who is tugged down by Colwill before Chelsea clear. But that was such poor defending and it could even have been a penalty, but VAR decides no.

Lemina tries his luck from the angle and brings a save from Petrovic.

GOAL! Wolves 1-0 Chelsea (LEMINA 50’)

14:09 , Jamie Braidwood

Wolves score from a corner, and that had been coming! It’s such a soft goal from a Chelsea point of view. Lemina is left unmarked in the box and doesn’t even need to jump to steer his header across goal and into the corner. Chelsea had looked vulnerable moments before and this time they are punished. Wolves lead!

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

14:08 , Jamie Braidwood

48 mins: SAVE! Wolves should be ahead! From the corner from the right, Toti Gomes is free at the back post and looks certain to score! But Petrovic leaps across and makes the stop at his far post, before Chelsea scramble away.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

14:07 , Jamie Braidwood

47 mins: CLOSE! ALmost a breakthrough for Wolves! Gomes strides forward and shoots from outside the box and it narrowly goes wide of the post after taking a deflection off Ugochukwu.

It actually comes off Ugochukwu’s hand, but his back was turned and VAR decides it’s not handball…

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

14:04 , Jamie Braidwood

Back underway at Molineux! Chelsea have Christopher Nkunku on the bench and it can’t be long until the former RB Liepzig forward is introduced.

HALF TIME! Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:54 , Jamie Braidwood

Wolves grew into it before half time but Chelsea should be leading. Pochettino’s side started well but lacked a clinical touch to turn moments into chances before Sterling wasted a golden one when Gomes was robbed inside his own half.

A familiar tale for Chelsea.

(Getty Images)

HALF TIME! Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:50 , Jamie Braidwood

That’s it for the first half.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:49 , Jamie Braidwood

45+1 mins: A late flurry from Chelsea, as Wolves almost shoot themselves in the foot! Cunha gives the ball away and it leads to Palmer having the chance to strike at goal – a deflection off Toti takes it over the bar.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:47 , Jamie Braidwood

44 mins: BIG chance for Wolves before half time! Sarabia plays a lovely pass over the top and into the space behind Silva and Hwang latches onto it. Petrovic stays to his line and Hwang snatches at the shot from the angle, blazing high and wide.

But for all of Chelsea’s earlier possession, that was probably the second best chance of the match so far, after Sterling’s miss.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:44 , Jamie Braidwood

42 mins: Wolves have grown into this and are looking the likelier to score before half time! A teasing cross into the box is only half cleared by Chelsea and Sarabia’s snapshot takes a wicked deflection off Silva before going out fo r a corner, but that wasn’t far away.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:43 , Jamie Braidwood

41 mins: The moment of the match so far, and one that gets worse for Sterling every time you look at it.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:41 , Jamie Braidwood

38 mins: Oooh. Chance for Wolves! Lemina’s shot was blocked and it fell to Hwang in the box, as Chelsea appealed for an offside flag that never came. Hwang couldn’t quite get the ball to settle or turn in time to get the shot away, as Chelsea scramble it clear.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:39 , Jamie Braidwood

37 mins: Just after Sterling blew that three-on-one, Gallagher curled an effort straight at Sa before Palmer, possibly still furious at Sterling for not squaring it to him, shot well over from 25 yards.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:37 , Jamie Braidwood

35 mins: Just Chelsea things.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:33 , Jamie Braidwood

32 mins: CHANCE! HUGE CHANCE FOR CHELSEA!

But how have they not scored?! It was almost a disaster for Gomes in midfield as Sterling robbed him. Suddenly it was three on one, with no Wolves players back. Sterling had Palmer and Jackson in support but went for goal and fails to beat Sa, who makes the save!

What a waste!

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:33 , Jamie Braidwood

31 mins: Sarabia… wide! The Spaniard’s effort looked to be troubling Petrovic before it was deflected wide by the wall.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:31 , Jamie Braidwood

30 mins: Now a Wolves free-kick on the edge! Ait Nouri drives inside from the left and Gallagher clips his heels. It’s a yellow card for the Chelsea captain and a chance for Wolves, with Sarabia lining it up.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:30 , Jamie Braidwood

28 mins: Sterling… over! A difficult one to get up and down, in fairness.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:29 , Jamie Braidwood

27 mins: Oooooh – very close to a Chelsea penalty. Sterling, the best player on the pitch so far, picks up the ball and drives towards goal before he is chopped down on the 18-yard line by Lemina. Sterling fell into the box but the foul was just outside.

Now, a decent chance for Sterling…

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:26 , Jamie Braidwood

24 mins: A decent couple of minutes for Wolves as they get some of the ball in the Chelsea half for the first time in the match. Sarabia’s touch is poor in the box after Ait Nouri finds him with the pull-back. The hosts have yet to have a shot at goal.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:23 , Jamie Braidwood

21 mins: This is starting to turn into one of *those* Chelsea performances. Sterling picks out Jackson with a lovely floated cross but the striker lets the ball slip out of his control from under his studs – more frustration for Pochettino.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:20 , Jamie Braidwood

17 mins: Sterling is having a huge influence on the game and a lot of Chelsea’s play is going down his side on the left. Samedo catches the forward’s shin as he clears the ball – Sterling stayed down and VAR had a look, but there wasn’t much in that.

(Getty Images)

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:17 , Jamie Braidwood

14 mins: A concern for Wolves as Ait Nouri goes down. The left back had only just returned from injury but looks ok to continue. O’Neil takes the chance to get his players in: Wolves are being outrun here and Chelsea’s attacking approach is causing them problems.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:13 , Jamie Braidwood

11 mins: Another moment to add to the list – this time as the overlapping Gusto gets around the outside of Palmer and cuts a low cross back to Broja, who can’t sort his feet out to connect with the shot. It then breaks to Jackson, but Wolves are able to get enough bodies in front of the ball to get the block in.

Good start from Chelsea, this.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:10 , Jamie Braidwood

8 mins: Another half-chance for Chelsea, this time as Sterling feeds Jackson with a clever ball, but Samedo got his body around the pass and poked back to Sa. The visitors have had some decent moments so far.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:08 , Jamie Braidwood

5 mins: So much space already! It’s an open start as Sterling leads the break and feeds Broja, who is in loads of room in the box. The striker cuts inside Lemina but Wolves recover before he can get his shot away. He needed to be quicker there, Broja.

It came after Wolves broke forward, with Chelsea’s midfield non-existent. Gomes couldn’t find the open man and Gallagher did well to track back and cut out the chance.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:05 , Jamie Braidwood

3 mins: Sterling beats Samedo with ease before he is brushed to the ground. Jackson then gives away a similar foul and Chelsea are frustrated as this time the free-kick goes against them.

Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

13:03 , Jamie Braidwood

1 min: Nicolas Jackson has started behind Armando Broja for Chelsea, with Raheem Sterling on the left and Cole Palmer floating inside from the right.

Wolves v Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

13:01 , Jamie Braidwood

Here we go! Will Chelsea be driving home for Christmas with three points or can Gary O’Neil’s Wolves side give the Blues another set-back? We’re underway.

Wolves v Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

12:56 , Jamie Braidwood

Kick-off is next! Wolves can go level on points with Chelsea with a win, while the Blues are guaranteed to spend Christmas 10th – it just depends if Pochettino’s side can cut the gap to ninth-placed Brighton, which currently stands at five points…

Wolves v Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

12:46 , Jamie Braidwood

Mauricio Pochettino, speaking to Sky ahead of Wolves vs Chelsea: “We have the possibility to play Broja and Jackson together, it’s about trying to find the best solution and the best balance to win the game.”

Gary O’Neil expects Molineux to be “rocking” for this first Christmas Eve fixture since 1995.

(Getty Images)

12:36 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea are winless in their last three away Premier League visits to Wolves, since a 5-2 win at Molineux in September 2019 – which featured a Tammy Abraham hat-trick.

In a good sign for Mauricio Pochettino, or maybe not, all four of their Premier League away wins at Wolves have been under different managers (Ranieri, Ancelotti, Villas-Boas and Lampard).

(Getty Images)

Wolves v Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

12:23 , Jamie Braidwood

Wolves have scored in each of their last 15 Premier League home games, which is their longest scoring streak at Molineux in the top-flight since 1970.

Only Liverpool and Brighton have won at Molineux this season and Manchester City and Tottenham were both beaten by Gary O’Neil’s side.

(Getty Images)

Wolves vs Chelsea – team news!

12:11 , Jamie Braidwood

The injuries continue to pile up for Chelsea and there is no Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez at Molineux, so Lesley Ugochukwu steps into midfield alongside Conor Gallagher. Romeo Lavia also returns to the Chelsea bench, where Christopher Nkunku remains despite making his debut as a substitute in midweek. Armando Broja leads the line, alongside Nicolas Jackson.

There are two changes to the Wolves team beaten at West Ham, with Jose Sa returning in goal and Rayan Ait-Nouri fit to start at left wing-back.

(Getty Images)

Wolves vs Chelsea – team news!

12:03 , Jamie Braidwood

Wolves XI: Jose Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Gomes; Semedo, Lemina, Joao Gomes, Ait Nouri; Hwang, Sarabia, Cunha

Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill; Ugochukwu, Gallagher; Sterling, Palmer, Jackson; Broja

When is Chelsea vs Wolves and how can I watch it?

11:50 , Luke Baker

When is Chelsea vs Wolves?

The match kicks off at 1pm GMT at the Molineux on Sunday 24 December.

How can I watch it?

The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event with coverage starting at 12pm GMT, and can be streamed also via the Sky Go app.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Is Wolves v Chelsea on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch the Premier League fixture

11:40 , Luke Baker

Chelsea take on Wolves in the first Premier League fixture on Christmas Eve since 1995.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side go into the game fresh off the back of reaching the Carabao Cup semi-finals following a penalty shoot-out against Newcastle on Tuesday.

Wolves have scored in every one of their last 15 Premier League matches at Molineux, but Cole Palmer goes into the match in impressive form, having scored six goals and provided three assists in the top flight.

Chelsea go into the match looking for back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since October having beaten Sheffield United in the last game.

Here’s everything you need to know about the game:

Is Wolves v Chelsea on TV? Kick-off time and how to watch the Premier League fixture

Reece James reveals latest injury setback and hits out at critics

11:27 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea captain Reece James has undergone surgery and hit out against negative comments regarding his latest setback.

The 24-year-old limped off in the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at Everton last week with a recurring hamstring injury and underwent an operation to try and solve the issue.

It is James’ third longer-term hamstring problem within the last 12 months which prompted negative and abusive messages from fans towards the England full-back.

James took to social media to give an update following the operation.

He posted on Instagram: “The footballing world knew I got injured but the procedure I would go down this time took slightly longer to figure out the best solution.

Reece James reveals latest injury setback and hits out at critics

Chelsea joy comes from unlikely source in Carabao Cup drama

11:15 , Jack Rathborn

A moment to savour and delight, finally, for Mauricio Pochettino, who will dance long into the southwest London night. His Chelsea into the Carabao Cup semi-finals and a cruel exit on penalties for a brave Newcastle United. It was so nearly more of the same for the Blues: plenty of promise but ultimately heading for a miserable conclusion to another 90 minutes in this lavish project.

Desperately searching for inspiration, it arrived in unlikely circumstances, with not only another calamitous error from Kieran Trippier, but their much-maligned £88.5m man Mykhailo Mudryk doing the damage. He prodded into the corner in stoppage time and followed it with a calmly-converted penalty in the shootout. Chelsea may just have lift-off under Pochettino on this most thrilling of nights in the Carabao Cup.

The tempo of this firecracker of a tie was set within a minute when Moises Caicedo scraped his studs down Anthony Gordon’s calf – a nasty challenge that may have seen him sent off had VAR been available.

Chelsea joy and Newcastle misery come from unlikely sources in Carabao Cup drama

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino responds to Conor Gallagher transfer speculation

11:00 , Jack Rathborn

Mauricio Pochettino insists Conor Gallagher’s Chelsea future will be a matter for the player and the club after more speculation surrounding the midfielder’s future.

Gallagher, whose contract expires in 2025, has played in all but one of the Blues’ matches this season, thriving in midfield under the Argentine and taking the captain’s armband after injuries to Reece James and Ben Chilwell.

Tottenham and West Ham held an interest in the player last summer, and rumours have returned concerning a potential move for the 23-year-old in January with Chelsea making efforts to be compliant with Profit and Sustainability rules.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino responds to Conor Gallagher speculation

Wolves vs Chelsea tips, betting preview and predictions

Saturday 23 December 2023 16:53 , Jack Rathborn

Wolves and Chelsea will contest the first Premier League Christmas Eve fixture since 1995 on Sunday (1pm, Sky Sports).

The Blues will be looking to boost their European hopes by triumphing at Molineux Stadium.

Gary O’Neil’s side have a good record at home, however, so this match is not easy to call.

Chelsea are the favourites with the best betting sites, but do not count Wolves out of this one.

Wolves vs Chelsea tips: Betting preview with predictions, best odds and free bets