"Keep fighting dad" – Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina dedicates Chelsea goal to hospitalized father
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Mario Lemina has dedicated his goal in a 2-1 league triumph over Chelsea to his hospitalized father.
Lemina, 30, produced a fine performance in his team's recent Premier League win at the Molineux Stadium this Sunday (December 24). He opened the scoring in the 51st minute with a header from a corner-kick.
Afterwards, Matt Doherty added another for Wolves before Christopher Nkunku hit his first goal for Chelsea in the sixth minute of injury-time.
Following the end of the contest, Lemina told the pitchside reporters that his father has been hospitalized for two months. He posted on X:
"Keep fighting Dad this one is for you ❤️ I love you. We need you Dad ❤️🤲🏽"
So far this season, Lemina has netted thrice in 16 matches for Wolves.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino rues missed chances after recent Wolves defeat
Speaking at a post-game press conference, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino asserted that his team lacked clinical edge in their recent 2-1 defeat at Wolves. He said (h/t Chelseafc.com):
"Of course, we feel very disappointed. I think we deserve much more than we got but we cannot hide from the fact that in a competition as strong as the Premier League, if you are not clinical then you cannot complain [at the result]. We created a lot of chances in the first half but did not score."
Pochettino, who has guided the Blues to six league wins so far, added:
"We dominated the possession and didn't allow a single shot on target from Wolves in the first half, so I think we should have gone in at half-time with a different score. In the second half, we conceded a few corners and then allowed Wolves to take the lead. They were more clinical and that is why the result is as it is."
The Blues recorded 68% possession, registered 16 shots compared to Wolves' 14, and completed 527 passes to the hosts' 176 this Sunday.
Queried about confidence issues in his squad, Pochettino responded:
"We've spoken a lot, since the start of the season, and we know we are a young team. Some of these players are playing in the Premier League for the first time and they need to gain confidence playing at this level. They need to adapt to play at this level and, of course, it is about confidence and belief in themselves. We are a young team that needs to learn from games like this."
Chelsea, who finished 12th last season, are 10th in the 2023-24 league table with 22 points from 18 games, boasting a goal difference of +1.