Edouard Mendy’s honeymoon period at Chelsea over as Wolves put the Blues to the sword
Chelsea have lost back-to-back Premier League games for the first time under Frank Lampard, and the Blues boss did not hold back as he took aim at his players during his latest post-game conference.
The west London giants went into Tuesday’s game against Wolverhampton Wanderers with the chance to temporarily move level on points with Premier League leaders, Tottenham Hotspur.
However, they could now end the week in ninth position, depending on how Everton and Manchester United fare in their upcoming games on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Frank Lampard lamented after the game:
"Performance is what gives you results, and we had a long run of good performances but maybe the lads think we’re playing well, and when you think you’re playing well this is what happens,"
"Maybe it’s for the players to think about the game while they’re resting. Think about tonight, think about Everton. This is the Premier League and if you don’t perform, you lose games."
Wolves thwart Chelsea's bid to return to winning ways
Chelsea saw their 17-game unbeaten run come to an end last week when they were defeated by Everton at Goodison Park.
The game against Wolves was, therefore, a test of their character and was the perfect opportunity for them to return to winning ways.
However, in the end, it was Nuno Espirito Santo’s side that took home all three points after scoring a late winner through Pedro Neto.
Chelsea made a poor start to the game and rarely troubled the Wolves defence. In fact, throughout the first half, the Blues failed to register a single shot on target.
Olivier Giroud’s opening goal in the 49th minute was actually Chelsea’s first shot on target but they failed to build on it. Once Wolves grabbed the equaliser through Daniel Podence, the home side seized control of the game and looked dangerous with every attack.
Eduoard Mendy can't spare Chelsea's blushes anymore
Chelsea has had to rely on the brilliance of Edouard Mendy to carry them through games in recent times. Since joining the Blues in the summer, the goalkeeper has been in superb form. He has saved the team so many times and has kept them in games where they would easily have lost.
The 28-year-old is the kind of goalkeeper that turns a loss into a draw and a draw into a narrow 1-0 or 2-1 win. However, his brilliance can no longer paper over the cracks in this Chelsea team.
At the moment, the Blues’ attackers are badly misfiring. Timo Werner looks lost on the pitch, Kai Havertz is lacking fitness and confidence while Giroud is not getting the service he needs to thrive.
In the space of a week, Chelsea have gone from title contenders to a team currently out of the top four.
Wolves exposed the deep-rooted problems in the team, and Chelsea’s latest loss proves that all talk of them being title contenders were premature.