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Wolves rose out of the drop zone with a fully
deserved win to add more pressure on to defending champions
Chelsea.
The hosts opened the scoring on six minutes when defender Jose
Boswinga stabbed the ball into his own net from Stephen Hunt's
inswinging corner.
Chelsea improved with Salomon Kalou denied by goalkeeper Wayne
Hennessey and Didier Drogba hitting the upright.
Florent Malouda shot wide for the Blues but they ran out of
ideas as Wolves wasted chances to score again.
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And so the stuttering form shows no sign of improving for the
west Londoners, who have won only one of their last nine games -
their worst league run for 14 years.
When these two sides met at Stamford Bridge in October, Chelsea
won 2-0 to move five points clear at the top of the table. Less
than three months on, and Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti sees his men
struggling in fifth place and in danger of missing out on Champions
League football next season.
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy's team on the other hand secured
their fourth victory in seven games and, although they sit
dangerously one place above the relegation zone, their battling
qualities and form suggest they should have enough to stay up.
Ancelotti had said ahead of this match he felt lucky he still
had the Chelsea job but the Italian would have been left
reappraising his fortune after only six minutes at Molineux when
his side conceded the sloppy opener.
The warning signs had been there as Peter Cech had already had
to palm away a stinging shot from Ronald Zubar but immediately
afterwards the Blues goalkeeper could only watch in horror as
defender Boswinga shinned the ball into his own net from Hunt's
corner.
Chelsea struggled to contend with Wolves' pressing nature of
their 4-4-2 formation, as well as the slippery surface, and were
grateful to see Kevin Doyle shoot tamely at Cech following a
surging run towards the box by the impressive Zubar.
The visitors though gradually found more time on the ball with
Portuguese midfielder Ramires pulling the strings and they came
agonisingly close to an equaliser on the half hour.
Malouda burst through the left-side of the defence for the first
time and crossed for Kalou, who toe-poked towards goal only for
Hennessey's outstretched leg to deny him.
Wolves remained relatively comfortable as their battling defence
only had to deal with a wild John Terry volley flying over the bar
and a couple of dangerous crosses from Malouda.
Ancelotti's visitors began the second half in more determined
fashion and soon after a weak Malouda shot at Hennessey, they
wasted a glorious chance to get on the scoresheet.
It was Lampard, looking fresh from a three-month lay-off, to
open up the increasingly edgy defence with a delicate back-heel
through to Kalou but the Ivorian could only slot the ball wide with
the goal at his mercy.
Drogba, so often a match-winner for the west Londoners, looked a
forlorn figure but came the closest to turning the match around,
hitting the post after taking advantage of a rare slip in
concentration from his opponents.
While McCarthy prowled the touchline barking orders, his
opposite number watched on motionless and expressionless and, with
25 minutes to go, decided to throw on Nicolas Anelka for Kalou.
The chances did eventually arrive for the visitors with Malouda
wasteful when clean through and then substitute Daniel Sturridge
volleyed high and wide to add to their manager's frustrations.
But with Richard Stearman guiding his resolute defence, it was
the home side who came through as Drogba ended the game by wasting
a good chance from a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Manchester City, Liverpool, Bolton and Manchester United come
next for Wolves in the Premier League but McCarthy's men will fear
no one after beating Chelsea for the first time in 18 years, while
Ancelotti has much to ponder as his players continue to
splutter.
