Playing in front of a home crowd, Chelsea would have been hoping for an improved performance following their 4-1 thumping in mid-week away to Liverpool at Anfield. But it would be Gary O'Neil's Wolves side that would leave Stamford Bridge victorious; a result that sees them climb above Chelsea in the Premier League table.
For all of Wolves quality and elements of luck with a couple of deflected goals, Chelsea were never up to the pace of the game and could do little to combat the away side's consistent and energetic high press.
The boos rang around the ground at full time as the Blues slumped to their tenth defeat of the campaign so far. The pressure is mounting on Pochettino as his side's prospects of securing European football next season grow increasingly slim.
VAVEL considers the four things we learned from this Sunday afternoon fixture:
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Lack of maturity
For Chelsea, the same issues that have shrouded the club all season were at the forefront once again. There is a clear crop of talented players in the squad but a lack of experience in this young side, with an average age of 23.7 years, highlights that there is an obvious level of composure and maturity lacking when things do not go to plan on the football pitch.
Today, the seasoned pros that did start such as Raheem Sterling and Thiago Silva, both had underwhelming performances. The Brazilian centre-half did get himself on the scoresheet late on but was consistently done for pace down the right-hand side, and Sterling was ineffective in the final third. In a game that needed leadership at crucial times, there was a severe lack of it on the pitch.
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Record-breaking Wolves
For the first time in 44 years, Wolves were able to win at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Having won at Molineux on Christmas Eve this season already, it was also the first league double for The Wanderers over the Blues since the 1974-75 season.
A Matheus Cunha hat-trick and an Axel Disasi own goal compounded the away side's dominance in the match, with the final score not flattering them in any way, as the West Midlands side romped to victory that saw them move up into the top 10 in the table.
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Gusto off the pace
In recent weeks, Malo Gusto has been something of a consistent shining light for Chelsea. With the ongoing injury woes of Club captain Reece James, the Frenchman has deputised in the right fullback position effortlessly, but today he did not seem at his usual brilliant best.
Poor decision-making when under pressure led to Wolves' chances on numerous occasions and Rayan Ait-Nouri was able to overlap down Gusto's side with ease throughout the entirety of the match. A booking after thirty minutes and the concession of a penalty to hand Cunha his third goal from the spot summed up a poor performance on the day from Gusto.
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O'Neil's stock keeps rising
Having only been appointed Head Coach of Wolves five days before the 2023/24 season kicked off, Gary O'Neil has achieved great things already in his short time at the club.
With his side sitting in the top half of the Premier League, having already been victorious over Manchester City and the high-flying Tottenham Hotspur at home this season, today's confirmation of a league double over Chelsea further shows that this Wolves team are moving in the right direction under the Englishman’s tutelage.
As the weeks go by, O'Neil's recognition as an effective manager is only increasing.
