Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 5y

Ruben Loftus-Cheek takes his chance, Marcos Alonso exposed in Chelsea defeat

Chelsea suffered their second Premier League defeat of the season at the Molineux Stadium as goals from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota gave Wolves -- inspired by dazzling youngster Morgan Gibbs-White -- a first victory since early October.

Positives

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Andreas Christensen took their first real Premier League opportunities, perhaps giving Maurizio Sarri more reason to trust them in the future, while the likes of Jorginho and David Luiz will at least be fresh for the visit of Manchester City.

Negatives

Chelsea's control over this match proved startlingly brittle once Wolves got some second-half momentum, and Eden Hazard showed little sign of breaking out of his scoring slump any time soon.

Manager Rating out of 10

 5 -- Sarri's faith in Christensen and Loftus-Cheek was largely rewarded, but another poor Alonso performance raises fresh questions about his mysterious reluctance to play Emerson Palmieri. There was also no tactical variation once Chelsea fell behind, only fresh legs rather than fresh ideas.

Player ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, 5 -- Didn't have much to do for the majority of the evening but allowed Jimenez's low shot to squirm under his body for the equaliser. Was left utterly exposed for Wolves' second.

DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 6 -- After allowing Jota and Ruben Vinagre to deliver a couple of dangerous crosses, he generally defended his flank well, though he was sucked too far infield for Jota's goal which put Wolves ahead.

DF Antonio Rudiger, 5 -- Used the ball well in possession and was pretty solid until the attack that led to Wolves' second, where he got caught watching the ball and failed to recognise the need to recover to Jota.

DF Andreas Christensen, 6 -- Impressively calm in his distribution and reading of situations in the first half, Jimenez managed to run off him for Wolves' equaliser and he lacked the speed to make up the ground.

DF Marcos Alonso, 5 -- Is nowhere near the influence in the opposition half that he was earlier in the season and, given the number of games he has played, it's tempting to conclude he badly needs a rest. It was surprising that he didn't get it tonight, particularly with City next up.

MF Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 7 -- Continued his prolific recent scoring run with a slice of fortune thanks to Conor Coady's big deflection, but his confidence to set up the shot from 25 yards and take it was encouraging. Linked up well with Hazard throughout.

MF Cesc Fabregas, 6 -- Had some nice moments on the ball and one crucial defensive intervention when he slid in to deny Gibbs-White a free shot at goal, but he could not prevent Chelsea from losing control of the game in the second half. Also missed his team's best chance for an equaliser.

MF N'Golo Kante, 6 -- Played his part in Chelsea keeping the ball under pressure in the first half, but offered little of significance in the final third and was unsurprisingly taken off when the match began to go away from his team.

FW Willian, 6 -- Made a bright start in attack and also sprinted back superbly to stifle one early Wolves counter. Undid his good work when he was weakly dispossessed and looked for the referee to bail him out in the build-up to the home side's second goal.

FW Alvaro Morata, 6 -- Made all the right runs and showed plenty of enthusiasm, though it's still unclear if he'll ever rediscover his highest confidence levels. Was slightly unfortunate not to win a penalty when Willy Boly slid through the back of him to foil a likely tap-in just after the break.

FW Eden Hazard, 7 -- His incisive runs and passes created Chelsea's best chances, and also won a number of dangerous set pieces. He rarely looked like breaking his scoring duck though and, put simply, Sarri needs his superstar to play like one.

Substitutes:

FW Pedro, 6 -- Brought fresh urgency to Chelsea's attack when he replaced Willian, but wasn't able to test Rui Patricio.

FW Olivier Giroud, 6 -- Always holds the ball up better than Morata but, one wayward header from a corner aside, he didn't manage to carry much of a goal threat.

MF Mateo Kovacic, N/R -- Sarri turned to him as a more creative midfield option than Kante, but his lack of scoring pedigree helped ensure he couldn't offer much for Wolves to worry about.

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