"Nunes' screamer ruins Lampard's comeback as Chelsea suffer 0-1 defeat against Wolves: Player ratings"

Chelsea endured a disappointing start to under Frank Lampard's leadership, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Wolves at Molineux on Saturday. The interim manager had pledged to give his squad a fresh beginning, but the Blues lacked any newness as they turned in a lacklustre performance which was ultimately punished by a superb first-half strike from Matheus Nunes.

The opening 20 minutes of the match were fairly entertaining, albeit uneventful. Chelsea controlled most of the possession but failed to create any clear-cut chances. Wolves gradually settled and began to take control, with Mario Lemina's low drive from outside the box providing the first serious scare for either side. However, the highlight of the game came shortly after the half-hour mark, when Nunes smashed a stunning half-volley from the edge of the box into the top corner of Kepa's goal.

Wolves continued to dominate proceedings in the second half, despite Chelsea's increased energy. The Blues' gung-ho mindset led to two fantastic counter-attacks from Wolves, but they failed to capitalise on these opportunities. Chelsea was underwhelming in their attempts to break down Wolves, who embraced the pressure and consistently cleared their lines.

There was a late call for a penalty when Christian Pulisic went to ground trying to finish off a nice Chelsea move, but the referee was not interested, and the VAR declined to intervene. Chelsea finished the game with over 60% possession and just one shot on target- Joao Felix's first-half strike. In contrast, Wolves looked deadly on the attack and deserving of their victory.

Player Ratings:

Wolves:

GK: Jose Sa - 6/10

RB: Nelson Semedo - 7/10

CB: Craig Dawson - 7/10

CB: Max Kilman - 7/10

LB: Toti Gomes - 7/10

RM: Matheus Nunes - 8/10

CM: Mario Lemina - 6/10

CM: Joao Gomes - 8/10

LM: Daniel Podence - 6/10

ST: Matheus Cunha - 6/10

ST: Diego Costa - 6/10

Substitutes:

Joao Moutinho (63' for Podence) - 5/10

Hwang Hee-chan (63' for Costa) - 6/10

Pablo Sarabia (74' for Cunha) - 5/10

Adama Traore (74' for Lemina) - 5/10

Nathan Collins (90' for Nunes) - N/A

Manager: Julen Lopetegui - 7/10

Chelsea:

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 5/10

RB: Reece James - 6/10

CB: Wesley Fofana - 6/10

CB: Kalidou Koulibaly - 5/10

LB: Marc Cucurella - 4/10

DM: Enzo Fernandez - 6/10

CM: Mateo Kovacic - 5/10

CM: Conor Gallagher - 5/10

RW: Raheem Sterling - 4/10

Substitutes:

None used.

Manager: Frank Lampard - N/A

ST: Kai Havertz - 3/10 - Really struggled to get involved but didn't help himself when he did get the ball. Often played the wrong pass or failed to spot a run.

LW: Joao Felix - 4/10 - Buzzed around aimlessly as he continued to make the wrong decision in the final third.

Christian Pulisic (60' for Havertz) - 5/10

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (67' for Felix) - 5/10

Mykhailo Mudryk (67' for Sterling) - 5/10

Ben Chilwell (67' for Cucurella) - 6/10

Trevoh Chalobah (80' for Fofana) - N/A

Frank Lampard - 4/10 - Questionable selections, both in terms of personnel and system, set Chelsea up to fail. Tried to make changes but couldn't get the results.

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