Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Commentary & Result, 27/01/21, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	32	23	5	4	67	23	+44	74	L W W W L
2	MUN Manchester United	32	19	9	4	64	35	+29	66	W W W W W
3	LEI Leicester City	31	17	5	9	55	37	+18	56	L L W W D
4	WHU West Ham United	32	16	7	9	53	42	+11	55	L W W D L
5	CHE Chelsea	31	15	9	7	50	31	+19	54	W L D W W
6	LIV Liverpool	32	15	8	9	54	38	+16	53	D W W W L
7	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	32	14	8	10	54	37	+17	50	D L D W L
8	EVE Everton	31	14	7	10	43	40	+3	49	D D D L L
9	ARS Arsenal	32	13	7	12	44	36	+8	46	D W L D W
10	LEE Leeds United	32	14	4	14	50	50	0	46	D W W W D
11	AVL Aston Villa	30	13	5	12	43	33	+10	44	L W L D D
12	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	32	11	8	13	32	41	-9	41	W W L L D
13	CRY Crystal Palace	31	10	8	13	33	52	-19	38	L D W L D
14	SOU Southampton	31	10	6	15	39	56	-17	36	L W L L W
15	NEW Newcastle United	32	9	8	15	35	53	-18	35	W W D L D
16	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	31	7	12	12	33	38	-5	33	D L W W L
17	BRN Burnley	32	8	9	15	26	45	-19	33	L L L W D
18	FUL Fulham	33	5	12	16	25	43	-18	27	D L L L L
19	WBA West Bromwich Albion	31	5	9	17	28	59	-31	24	W W L D L
20	SHU Sheffield United	32	4	2	26	17	56	-39	14	L L L L L

That's all for this live commentary. Goodbye!

Chelsea have another tough opponent to come at home with Burnley the next visitors to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Wolves are next in action against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Tuchel's first game in charge of Chelsea ends in a goalless draw, with the Blues failing to make the most of their superior possession - they had 79 per cent of the ball. Rudiger and Hudson-Odoi forced saves from Patricio but the hosts struggled to break down their opponents with great frequency. Wolves debutant Willian Jose was signed to score goals but his block on a goal-bound Havertz header in stoppage time secured the point for Nuno's men.

90' + 3' FULL-TIME: Chelsea 0-0 Wolves.

90' + 3' CHANCE! Chelsea get a corner after Pulisic's cross is deflected behind. Mount delivers it from the right and Havertz connects with a header that looks to be heading for the back of the net. However, Willian Jose gets in the way with a crucial block and that's the final act of the game!

90' + 2' Hudson-Odoi looks to dribble past Hoever and get a cross in from the byline but he overruns it and it goes out for a Wolves goal-kick. Could that be Chelsea's last chance?

90' + 1' We are into the first of three minutes of added time.

João Moutinho

Adama Traoré

90' Traore has had a quiet game and he is replaced by Moutinho for the final few minutes.

89' That was a real chance for Wolves! Neto switches the play to Dendoncker on the break and he controls just outside the box. He looks sure to test Mendy but Hudson-Odoi intervenes with a crucial touch to deny him.

86' GOOD SAVE! Hudson-Odoi has been one of Chelsea's brighter players. He dribbles in off the left and looks to curl a shot inside the far post. It takes a deflection off Hoever and appears destined for the net until Patricio springs to his left and palms it behind for a corner.

84' Wolves are no doubt going to just try to hold on for a point here. Chelsea have struggled to create chances all game and they might need something special to unlock the visitors.

M. Mount

H. Ziyech

83' Mount is sent on for Ziyech. Can he make something happen?

82' SO CLOSE! Ziyech tees up Kovacic for a shot from 20 yards and the Croatian curls it towards the top-right corner. He gets plenty of bend on it but not quite enough to see it beat Patricio, with it grazing the outside of the side-netting.

80' Chelsea are struggling for ideas. Ziyech picks it up in the centre of the pitch and has a go from in excess of 25 yards. It hits Coady and goes behind for a corner, which is only half cleared by Patricio. However, a free-kick is given for a foul on the goalkeeper.

79' Azpilicueta teases a wonderful cross around the back of the defence for Abraham to attack. Patricio races off his line and beats the Chelsea striker to it, though.

78' Hudson-Odoi dribbles in off the left and pulls the trigger from 20 yards but his effort flies straight into Boly. Time is running out for Chelsea to get a winner here.

T. Abraham

O. Giroud

77' Giroud's game is up and he makes way for Abraham, who scored a hat-trick against Luton in the FA Cup at the weekend.

C. Pulisic

B. Chilwell

76' Chilwell goes off for Pulisic, so Hudson-Odoi moves across to left wing-back.

76' Traore draws a foul inside the Chelsea half and Neto clips the free-kick towards the back post. There is no Wolves player attacking it but Chelsea don't clear their lines properly. The ball falls to Neves and he blasts a shot into the stands behind the goal.

74' Chelsea continue to show plenty of patience in possession, but they are also displaying a lack of ingenuity. Tuchel surely needs to look to his bench soon.

Willian José

Daniel Podence

72' Podence has had his last involvement, with Willian Jose making his debut in his place.

71' WOLVES HIT THE BAR! An errant pass from Mendy goes straight to Wolves and they break at pace. Neto and Podence combine to get the former in one-on-one against Mendy. He scoops the ball over the goalkeeper but it bounces behind off the woodwork and goes behind! That is the closest either team has come to an opener.

69' Willian Jose is stripped and ready on the touchline. The on-loan striker should be on to make his Wolves debut any moment now.

67' Havertz goes down after a strong challenge from Boly and Chelsea appeal for a free-kick. It looked like a perfectly legitimate tackle from the Wolves centre-back, though.

65' Ziyech switches the play to Chilwell and his cross to Giroud is blocked well by Dendoncker. The follow-up effort from Havertz is deflected behind, but the offside flag is up. It looked like it was against Chilwell, but the replays suggest he was in a legal position.

64' Some lovely, quick interplay between Jorginho, Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech enables the latter to get in behind on the right and slide a pass into the box. He sends it to the feet of Giroud but he can only dig out a tame effort that causes Patricio no problems. There are signs that Chelsea are finally starting to click into gear now.

B. Chilwell

Yellow Card

62' Chilwell goes into the book after catching Traore on the foot with a late sliding tackle.

61' WHAT A CHANCE! Kovacic slides a lovely pass in behind for Havertz and he cuts it back to Chilwell with his first touch. The wing-back lets fly with a shot but sends it sailing over the crossbar. He really ought to have done better!

59' Azpilicueta floats a lovely delivery into the box for Giroud to attack but Coady does well to get his head to it first and nod the ball behind for a corner. The corner is headed away and Chelsea keep the move alive. It ends with Giroud drilling a shot from the tightest of angles straight at Patricio.

58' Kilman is penalised for a late tackle on Ziyech and Chelsea get a free-kick in an advanced position on the right. Hudson-Odoi swings it into the box and Giroud tries to volley it across the face of goal but Hoever gets his body in the way.

56' Traore gets a rare touch and he looks to spin away from Chilwell and surge forward. He is clipped by the wing-back and wins a free-kick. Chelsea have been a frustrating watch so far.

54' Chilwell sees an attempt to slide a pass into the box cut out and Wolves try to push forward. Kovacic lunges in on Podence and gives away a free-kick, easing the pressure on the visitors.

53' The game really has settled into the same pattern. It feels like a substitution is needed in attack for Chelsea.

Pedro Neto

Yellow Card

51' Neto is shown a yellow card for a shove on Jorginho after taking objection to a tackle from the Chelsea midfielder.

49' Hudson-Odoi comes in off the right and looks for a give-and-go with Ziyech but the return pass is intercepted. Wolves' attempt to break comes to nothing and Chelsea begin to probe for another opening again.

48' It looks like this half is going to follow the same theme as the first, with Chelsea controlling possession and looking to get in crosses from wide areas.

46' Hudson-Odoi sends a low cross into the box and it loops up into the air. Havertz looks to get underneath it and goes down under a challenge from Semedo. He appeals for a penalty but there is not really anything in it.

46' We are back under way at Stamford Bridge.

K. Hoever

R. Aït Nouri

46' Nuno makes a change with Hoever on for Ait Nouri.

Chelsea made 433 successful passes in the first half; their most in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game since Opta started collecting the data at the start of the 2003-04 season. They will need more penetration in the second half if they are to avoid dropping points.

Chelsea had a massive 79 per cent of possession during the first half of Tuchel's tenure but in truth failed to really do anything with it. Patricio has only had two saves to make from Havertz and Rudiger and neither were particularly hard work for him - the latter's header being the closest the Blues got to an opener. Nuno's side have sat deep and been compact. He will likely want more of the same with a bit more adventure to try to nick a goal.

45' + 4' HALF-TIME: Chelsea 0-0 Wolves.

45' + 3' Havertz tries to curl a ball in behind for Giroud but the striker is unable to get on the end of it. That will likely be their final chance before half-time.

45' A foul on Boly inside the box relieves the pressure on the Wolves defence just before half-time. There is going to be a minimum of three minutes of added time.

44' Ziyech slides a lovely pass down the right for the run of Hudson-Odoi, who attempts to cut the ball back from the byline. Ait Nouri blocks it and Chelsea have to settle for a corner.

42' Thiago Silva looks for Chilwell with another long diagonal pass but this time the Chelsea wing-back is offside. Wolves will probably be content to get to half-time without conceding.

40' Chance for Wolves! Neto is released on the left and he bides his time before sending in a cross. Dendoncker connects with a header but sends it over the top, with Mendy still yet to make a save.

39' SAVED! Ziyech hangs a free-kick up at the back post and Rudiger is there to meet it. He powerfully heads the ball towards the bottom-right corner but Patricio gets down to it and holds on for a decent stop.

38' The Blues continue to just move the ball across the pitch from left to right. Thiago Silva plays a long diagonal pass out to Chilwell on the wing and he wins a free-kick following a clumsy tackle from Semedo.

36' Chelsea are struggling to break Wolves down. Their only plan so far has been to get the ball wide and send crosses into the box, but Giroud is their only real target and he is being marked closely.

34' Just as I type that they get forward on the right and Semedo wins a corner for Wolves. Neto takes it short to Podence - their first touch in the oppostiion box - but the eventual cross is headed to safety.

33' Wolves are still yet to record a shot on target or a touch in Chelsea's box.

31' That was a chance! Hudson-Odoi is set on his way down the right and sends a high cross to the back post. Chilwell arrives onto it with a volley but he it's a contested shot and he is unable to steer the ball on target.

30' Coady is back on the pitch again and play finally gets back under way. Wolves have a throw-in deep in the Chelsea half but Neto lacks support to do anything with the ball when he gets it.

29' It looks like Coady is being checked for a concussion. Play has stopped while he receives treatment.

27' Coady still appears to be struggling with a facial injury. Wolves will hope that can be patched up quickly - their captain is massively important to their set-up.

25' Podence limps off to the sidelines but quickly returns to the game. Coady also went off at the same time after some treatment but is back on the pitch.

23' Thiago Silva and Podence are down after a collision inside the centre circle. The Wolves attacker is getting some medical attention for his right knee and appears to be in some pain.

22' Neves aims it towards the goalkeeper's side but he gets too much height on his effort and misses the target. It looks like Wolves will need to do better with chances like that given how dominant Chelsea have been so far.

21' Wolves have a free-kick just outside the area with Rudiger catching Podence in the head with his arm as he looks to run across the forward. What can Neves do with this?

20' SAVE! That's the first shot on target of the game! Coady heads away a cross from Hudson-Odoi, but only as far as Ziyech. He takes a touch before looking to curl an effort into the top-left corner and sends it too close to Patricio.

19' Havertz drifts out to the left and is fed by Chilwell. He drills a low cross into the middle and Kilman gets to it first to clear. Wolves push forward down the right but a wayward cross from Neto leads to nothing.

17' Wolves are defending deep, with almost every man back inside the final third when Chelsea have possession. The hosts work it out to Hudson-Odoi on the right and he sticks in another cross that fails to beat the first man.

15' Havertz picks up the ball at the halfway line and surges forward, beating two player as he powerfully dribbles into the box. He is unable to make a solid connection on a shot under pressure and it's easy for Patricio to deal with.

14' Chilwell attempts a one-two with Ziyech, who has already popped up on the right and the left, but Semedo is wise to it and makes an important intervention. There has not been much urgency in Chelsea's attacking over the past five minutes or so.

12' Thiago Silva has ended on the winning side in 85 per cent of his league appearances under Tuchel (39/46).

10' Semedo reads the play well and makes an interception before surging forward. He tries to slip a pass into the path of Traore on the right but he only finds a blue shirt.

9' Neto looks to lead Wolves on a rare foray into the Chelsea half but a sliding tackle from Thiago Silva brings an end to the move. Chelsea have had 85 per cent of the possession so far.

8' Ziyech sends a corner to the near post but is unable to get it past Neto. He tries to spark a counter-attack but Chelsea regain possession and look to build again.

7' Chelsea are comfortably on top with Kovacic dictating the play in midfield. Giroud sends a pass out to the left for Chilwell, whose cross is blocked behind for a corner.

5' CHANCE! Hudson-Odoi runs at Ait Nouri on the right and creates enough room to whip a low ball towards the near post. Giroud attacks it but fails to get a touch on it! Had he made contact it could well have been an early goal.

3' Ziyech gets the first attempt on goal away but his shot is blocked. It's a fairly low-key start to proceedings at Stamford Bridge. It does look like it might be a back three for Chelsea, with Hudson-Odoi playing as a right wing-back.

1' Wolves get the ball rolling and the Tuchel era has begun at Chelsea!

There is a minute of silence before kick-off to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

The teams are making their way out onto the pitch so we will be under way soon!

Thiago Silva knows Tuchel well from their time together at Paris Saint-Germain and the veteran centre-back is the fourth player to feature for two different top-flight clubs under the German coach, joining Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Andre Schurrle and Park Joo-ho.

After a much-changed side got past Chorley in the FA Cup on Friday, Nuno Espirito Santo has returned to a more familiar line-up. There are just three changes from the team that lost 3-2 to West Brom in their previous Premier League outing, with Kilman, Ait Nouri and Podence in for Saiss, Moutinho and Fabio Silva.

Tuchel has made four changes from the team that lost 2-0 to Leicester City last week, with James, Mount, Pulisic and Abraham benched for Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Ziyech and Giroud. Ziyech is the only player in the new boss' first XI that started the 3-1 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup on Sunday. It has been suggested the Blues could also start this game with a three-man defence.

Wolves subs: John Ruddy, Romain Saiss, Ki-Jana Hoever, Owen Otasowie, Vitinha, Joao Moutinho, Patrick Cutrone, Willian Jose, Fabio Silva.

Wolves (3-4-1-2): Rui Patricio; Willy Boly, Conor Coady, Max Kilman; Nelson Semedo, Leander Dendoncker, Ruben Neves, Rayan Ait Nouri; Daniel Podence; Adama Traore, Pedro Neto.

Chelsea subs: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Reece James, Emerson Palmieri, Kurt Zouma, Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Tammy Abraham.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell; Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic; Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Olivier Giroud.

Tuchel is taking charge of Chelsea for the first time after the club decided to dispense with the services of Frank Lampard on Monday. They have won just two of their past eight top-flight games and the new head coach - who signed an 18-month contract with an option to extend by a year - will be hoping for an immediate upturn in form.

Hello and welcome to this live commentary on the Premier League meeting between Chelsea and Wolves, which signifies the start of Thomas Tuchel's reign at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Commentary, 27/01/21

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