Chelsea suffered their fourth successive away loss in the Premier League, as Gameweek 18 ended at Molineux.
We pick out the main Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Sunday’s clash in our brief Scout Notes report.
PALMER + STERLING BANS
Cole Palmer (£5.6m) and Raheem Sterling (£7.1m) were both handed their fifth bookings of the season on Sunday, so will now miss out in Gameweek 19.
The former has quickly established himself as a key player under Mauricio Pochettino, in turn seeing his ownership rise to 24.3%.
However, in a week where many squads are stretched, the timing for most is far from ideal.
As for Sterling, he was Chelsea’s standout player at Molineux and started well, creating early opportunities for Nicolas Jackson (£6.9m) and Armando Broja (£4.9m), but poor decision-making let him down.
One particular incident saw him opt not to square the ball with Palmer waiting for a tap-in. Instead, he decided to shoot but couldn’t beat Jose Sa (£5.0m).
Sterling did at least provide the assist for Christopher Nkunku’s (£7.3m) late consolation, although owners will feel somewhat underwhelmed by his four-point return.
NKUNKU IMPRESSES
Chelsea started the game at Molineux very well, creating lots of chances, but once again lacked the necessary composure in front of goal.
The Blues have missed 36 of their 57 ‘big chances’ in the Premier League this season, more than any other side, and neither Jackson or Broja currently look up to it.
“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. 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.
“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. We know we can still improve and that is something we need to work on.” – Mauricio Pochettino
However, one of the few positives to come from Sunday was a goal for substitute Nkunku.
The 26-year-old made a big impact off the bench, seeing a shot cleared off the line just moments after coming on, before netting a fine header into the bottom corner late on.
Initially supporting Jackson in a central position being moving up front himself, Nkunku racked up four shots in the box and one ‘big chance’ in just 42 minutes (inc injury time).
Now, with Chelsea’s other centre-forwards struggling, plus Palmer and Sterling suspended, Mauricio Pochettino must be tempted to throw him in from the start against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 19.
“I’m very pleased to see Nkunku score and it shows how important he can be for us. We cannot put too much pressure on him, he’s been out for a very long time and that is why he came on after 60 minutes – to help ease him in.
“He’s a quality player who can score goals and we are pleased he did that today, although of course we are disappointed not to win the game. Christo needs time to arrive in this way but we are very confident in him to get to his best and be a key player for us.” – Mauricio Pochettino on Christopher Nkunku
FORTRESS MOLINEUX
Wolves lacked intensity against West Ham United last week, but they were right back at it at Molineux on Sunday, extending their unbeaten home run to seven games.
They certainly know how to take on the top clubs.
During that run, they’ve beaten Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and now Chelsea, whilst also taking points off Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
“We need to do a bit better away from home, the performances haven’t been bad at Arsenal and Fulham, and we probably should have taken something from them. Here, we’re creating something, you can feel it with the fans and players, they love playing here. To be able to play against a team like Chelsea and not just sit in but go toe to toe was a big effort. I have big belief in the group around what they can achieve. Sometimes that’s why we turn the ball over a lot, because I ask them to do complicated things, and to behave like a big team and today we were able to compete with one.” – Gary O’Neil
Here, they went ahead from a corner, with Mario Lemina (£4.9m) getting in front of a flat-footed Lesley Ugochukwu (£4.4m) before Matt Doherty (£4.3m) scored his first league goal for the club since returning.
For Lemina, it’s now three goals in his last five home appearances.
Elsewhere, Hwang Hee-chan (£5.7m) had his moments but has now blanked in four of his last five matches. With Brentford up next, most owners will be content to hold, but plans to remove him will need to be made, with his Asian Cup departure nearing.
As for Pedro Neto (£5.6m), he is back in training but was still not deemed ready for the matchday squad.
