Chelsea 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2018-19
A 92nd minute beauty from Eden Hazard was what it needed for Chelsea to claim a point against a well-drilled Wolverhampton Wanderers side at Stamford Bridge. They spurned a chance to leapfrog both Manchester United and Arsenal for the time being, but these points are priceless, nevertheless.
The Blues dominated the majority of the contest, but a scrappy goal from Raul Jimenez just before the hour mark put Wolves in front.
The visitors didn't give Chelsea a single chance, but one simply cannot block the genius of Eden Hazard. The Belgium skipper took it upon himself, cut past a challenge to make room and launched one on goal, leaving Rui Patricio with no chance whatsoever.
On that note, let's take a look at the major talking points from Chelsea's draw against Wolves.
#1 Chelsea dominate play as Wolves set up on the counter
Even before the first whistle, Wolves skipper Conor Coady, while buoying up his fellow men, was gesturing everybody to narrow down whenever Chelsea got the ball.
The exact same panned out in the opening 10 minutes, as Chelsea exchanges passes all around the pitch, looking to crack open a resolute Wolves defence. It took about two minutes nine seconds for the visitors to kick about the ball for the first time - such was their defensive organisation and Chelsea's ascendancy.
As far as Nuno Espirito Santo's side were concerned, all bodies were behind the ball. Each one of them had their tasks cut out, and in pairs, the yellow shirts circumscribed Chelsea players in their defensive third.
Not only were Chelsea made to move the ball much quicker, they were forced to knock it wide and try to cross it into an area flooded with three center halves and two midfielders, all narrowly placed.
Gonzalo Higuain looked the most threatening for Chelsea, as his movement was the only commodity that looked like infusing a mild pinch of confusion among the opposition ranks. He had about three attempts on goal in the first half an hour, but only one was on target, that too from the tightest of angles.
Otherwise, there was nothing that overly bothered Rui Patricio in goal.