Key events
62 min: Chelsea’s opening goal had been coming. That one, not so much. But the hosts are ahead again! Then a change that was being readied before the goal, as Neto makes way for Sancho.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Wolves (Cucurella 60)
Cucurella starts a move out on the left. The ball’s shuttled wide right to Madueke, who sends an inswinger into the box. Dewsbury-Hall gently flicks it on. Cucurella chests down on the edge of the six-yard box and pokes into the bottom right. Easy as that!
60 min: Dewsbury-Hall makes up for his error by clearing Semedo’s free kick. Then up the other end …
59 min: Joao Gomes wriggles away from Dewsbury-Hall and is brought down from behind. Dewsbury-Hall is fortunate not to go into the book, but it’s a free kick 35 yards out. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Chelsea box.
58 min: Wolves spend a bit of time on the ball. Patient passing. Suddenly Sa sprays a long pass down the middle and is this close to finding Strand Larsen on the edge of the box. Sanchez comes to the edge of his box to claim.
56 min: Madueke advances down the right and enters the box, but can’t get a proper shot away. Goal kick. It’s all a bit scrappy, and Stamford Bridge has gone quiet. Wolves will be perfectly happy with all this.
54 min: Wolves with a free kick out on the left. Andre takes an Arsenalesque age over it, then sends it straight into the arms of Sanchez. Not worth the wait.
52 min: Neto is getting spurned-lover pelters from the away end every time he touches the ball. Panto season not over yet.
50 min: Wolves look a different side now. Cunha wins a corner down the left. He takes it himself … and once again whips his delivery straight into the side netting. To be fair to Cunha, he’s obviously been told to swing the corners viciously towards the near stick. It’s where the equaliser came from, after all. Small margins.
49 min: Neto crosses from the left. Madueke tries to steer a shot goalwards, but Semedo blocks. Chelsea come again, through Madueke on the right once more, but his shot, intended for the top-left corner, is slammed straight at Sa.
47 min: … and now some worried moans as Sanchez slices a clearance. No harm done, but Chelsea could do with someone putting their foot on the ball and settling everyone down.
46 min: The first groan of the half after 26 seconds, Caicedo clanking a dreadful pass straight to Andre, who should do better with his pass forward, the ball soon ending up back with Sanchez. But that’s betrayed home anxieties in short order.
Wolves get the second half underway. Chelsea kicking towards the Shed this time. No changes.
Half-time postbag. “I mean, that had everything; energetic first 25 minutes, a goal, then the slow realisation from Chelsea that they’re too knackered too play and that poor KDH is a bit out of his depth (some of Palmer’s looks to him have been priceless), and Wolves realising we don’t have a midfield and that we can’t head the ball. Excited for more!” – Matt Muir
“It’s weird how you suddenly notice something that’s been staring you in the face for decades. ‘Old Gold’ is one of the great club nicknames, but Wolves don’t actually play in old gold-coloured kit. According to the great Historical Football Kits website, they haven’t done so since the 1930s. Unfortunately, another team has a lock on all the ‘orange’ nicknames” – Kári Tulinius
“With all due respect to the Premier League, Chelsea, Wolves and yourself, am I the only one tuning in (not sure what the liveblog equivalent of ‘tuning in’ is) to see if there’s an update from Simon McMahon on the big Dundee derby at Dens Park tonight?” – Rob Knap
(It’s 1-0 to Dundee at half-time, Rob, Simon Murray with a first-minute header. No word from our poor old MBM pal Simon McMahon, who is possibly on his second or third mug of turbo-Bovril already.)
Half-time entertainment. A schadenfreude special courtesy of the ever-entertaining John Brewin.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Chelsea were the better team for the majority of the first half … but Wolves turned the tables during the last few minutes, and will be much the happier of the two sides now. The momentum with the visitors; the hosts once again threatening to drop points from a winning position. A dramatic, nerve-jangling, entertaining second half coming up, I’ll be bound.
45 min +7: Tosin is booked for arguing the toss over the equaliser. The game then restarts, and Ait-Nouri advances down the right and wins a corner. Sanchez manages to punch this one clear. Chelsea are suddenly desperate to hear the half-time whistle.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Wolves (Doherty 45+6)
Cunha loops the corner in from the left to the near post. The ball’s heading towards the top-left corner. Sanchez rises highest and claims, but the ball squirts out of his hands and drops to Doherty, who pokes into the bottom-left corner from a couple of yards. Chelsea ship a lead yet again!
45 min +5: Joao Gomes nutmegs Dewsbury-Hall to advance down the left. Dewsbury-Hall gets back to knock the ball out for a corner. From which …
45 min +4: Stamford Bridge is on edge. The home fans anxious. Chelsea have suddenly gone into their shell, memories of Fulham, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth no doubt racing through their minds.
45 min +2: Strand Larson is penalised for a garden-variety foul on James. The Wolves bench aren’t happy, and coach Luis Miguel, having said his piece with too much emotion, goes into the referee’s notebook.
45 min: Wolves are beginning to apply some pressure on Chelsea, who have recently developed a habit of shipping leads, their fans getting accordingly anxious. They’ll have six additional minutes in which to turn this momentum into something substantial.
44 min: Wolves have a free kick in Chelsea territory. They work it this way and that, the ball eventually ending up with Joao Gomes on the left. A cross is eyebrowed wide right by Cunha.
43 min: Cunha, having stolen the ball off Madueke, has the opportunity to send Sarabia clean through on goal down the inside-right channel, but hopelessly shanks a simple pass.
41 min: Andre is spun way too easily by Palmer, and responds by crudely hacking the Chelsea star to the ground from behind. That’s a no-brainer of a booking.
40 min: Ait-Nouri sashays in from the right and one-twos with Cunha. They nearly pick their way through the Chelsea back line, but Chalobah is on point to clear. Better from Wolves.
39 min: Yep, Caicedo’s back in. While he was getting treatment, Cunha was given another tactical pep-talk by the Wolves bench.
38 min: Caicedo is thankfully back up again. He limps to the sideline but looks prepared to come back on again.
37 min: Caicedo comes off second best in an old-school 50-50 with Andre. There didn’t look to be too much in it, but the Chelsea midfielder is thrashing around the turf in a lot of pain. On comes the physio.
35 min: Wolves enjoy some possession in the Chelsea half. They don’t do a great deal with it, but baby steps.
33 min: The free kick’s no good. Some relief for Wolves, who have now conceded 18 goals in the Premier League this season from a set-piece situation. Manchester United and Southampton are next on the list with 11.
32 min: Madueke drifts past Joao Gomes on the right and is brought down just outside the box. James prepares to send the free kick into the mixer.
31 min: Dewsbury-Hall sprays a delightful crossfield pass towards Neto on the left touchline. Neto comes infield and reaches the edge of the box, only to lose all ambition and turn tail.
29 min: Cunha slaps the corner straight into the side netting. What an anti-climax.
28 min: Wolves try to hit back immediately, Semedo’s presence down the left winning their first corner of the evening. Some pushing and shoving before it can be taken. The referee comes across to issue a few stern words.
