Revealed: Why Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer will miss Chelsea's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace as Mauricio Pochettino's misery continues in wake of Wolves defeat

A wasteful Chelsea fell to an eighth Premier League defeat of the season at Molineux on Christmas Eve. To make matters worse, forwards Palmer and Sterling picked up their fifth yellow cards of the campaign, meaning they will serve a one-match ban as they have reached this tally within the opening 19 matches. That rules them out of Wednesday's home clash against Crystal Palace.

This latest loss means Chelsea have suffered 19 defeats in the Premier League in 2023 - the joint-worst in the division with Fulham, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest. For the hundreds of millions of pounds they have spent, it is simply not good enough from the Blues, who sit 10th in the table.

Nicolas Jackson had a poor game against Wolves and when he was substituted in the 80th minute, the Chelsea fans actually cheered the change. The striker was one of many who struggled at Molineux in what was an error-strewn performance.

Chelsea can end the year on a more positive note as they host lowly Crystal Palace on December 27 before travelling to relegation contenders Luton Town three days later. After these Premier League matches they take on Preston at Stamford Bridge in the third round of the FA Cup on January 6.