Chelsea player ratings: Nkunku lives up to expectations but Jackson disappoints again for misfiring Blues against Wolves

4 months ago 33

CHELSEA suffered another miserable defeat, this time against Wolves who won 2-1 at Molineux.

The Blues missed a raft of chances that could have even seen them pick up the three points in the Midlands.

The likes of Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling and especially Nicolas Jackson failed to beat Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa in one-on-one situations.

Lesley Ugochukwu saw Mario Lemina netting the opener following some poor marking on 51 minutes and Benoit Badiashile practically set Matt Doherty up for the winner in the third minute of stoppage time with an unbelievable howler.

Christopher Nkunku scored his first ever Chelsea goal with a fine header during stoppage time and almost broke his duck shortly after coming on but was denied by Toti with a clearance on the goalline.

But how exactly did Mauricio Pochettino’s misfiring stars perform? Check out Kostas Lianos’ player ratings below for more:

Djordje Petrovic – 5

Showed great awareness by coming off his line to deny Nelson Semedo in the 39th minute after Levi Colwill lost his man but didn’t do the same in the 45th minute after Hwang Hee-chan broke through.

However, Petrovic saved Chelsea with a stunning block to deny Toti’s close-range header in the 49th minute. Wasn’t at fault for Mario Lemina’s opener or Matt Doherty’s winner.

Malo Gusto – 3

Couldn’t deliver at right-back and sometimes lost the ball with weak passes. Malo Gusto struggled in his defensive duties and didn’t cause concern to Wolves’ defenders when moving forward.

Axel Disasi – 4

Almost led to another goal for Wolves with a reckless touch at the back that gave the ball away to Matheus Cunha in his own third. Barely made up for the rest of the game with his marking.

Thiago Silva – 6

Some good defending from Thiago Silva, especially during Wolves’ counter-attacks. Was vocal at the back and tried to push his team-mates towards an equaliser.

Levi Colwill – 5

Levi Colwill showed once more why he is not a left-back. The centre-back couldn’t offer solutions or breakthroughs down the wing but was solid when defending.

Lesley Ugochukwu – 3

Holds responsibility for Mario Lemina’s opener with terrible marking that allowed the Wolves star to easily jump for the header and beat Dorde Petrovic.

Lesley Ugochukwu failed to impress and didn’t give manager Mauricio Pochettino reason to consider him ahead of the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

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Conor Gallagher – 5

Picked up a silly yellow card in the half-hour mark that provided a dangerous set-piece for Wolves outside the box. Conor Gallagher did well moving the ball forward from midfield but often gave the ball away as well.

Raheem Sterling – 4

Missed an unmissable chance in the 32nd minute in front of Jose Sa after picking up the ball following a shock error from Joao Gomes in his own third but his poor finish was denied.

Raheem Sterling missed a few other good chances throughout the match but made up with an assist as he set Christopher Nkunku‘s goal up with a fine cross from the right flank.

Cole Palmer – 4

Cole Palmer was quite versatile on the pitch starting on the left flank and then undertaking more of a playmaker role. However, the forward couldn’t cause threats and his shots never troubled Jose Sa.

Nicolas Jackson – 2

Should have scored in the eighth minute when he found himself in front of Jose Sa but took too long. Nicolas Jackson then failed to get a touch in the penalty area in the 21st minute that would have set him up against Sa again. The striker also took ages in the 55th minute when he only had the Portugal goalkeeper to beat.

Chelsea fans started cheering when he was replaced by Noni Madueke in the second half.

Armando Broja – 3

Took way too long to shoot from a goalscoring position in the fifth minute with a needless dribble. Armando Broja was then completely isolated as well as anonymous.

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Christopher Nkunku (on for Lesley Ugochukwu) – 7

Christopher Nkunku scored his first ever Chelsea goal with a fine header in the sixth minute of stoppage time and raised the visitors’ hopes of a late equaliser.

Nkunku almost broke his duck in the 64th minute shortly after coming on but failed to equalise as his shot was cleared off the line by Toti.

The versatile forward brought a new spark up front and Mauricio Pochettino should seriously consider starting him ahead of Nicolas Jackson.

Mykhailo Mudryk (on for Armando Broja) – 6

Just like Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk brought a new energy with some fiery runs down the left but that was about it. Couldn’t break into the area and lift his team-mates up amid a poor afternoon at Molineux.

Ian Maatsen (on for Levi Colwill) – N/A

Came on after 79 minutes as it became obvious Levi Colwill couldn’t cut it at left-back. But Ian Maatsen couldn’t offer much better during his limited time on the pitch.

Benoit Badiashile (on for Malo Gusto) – 2

Replaced Malo Gusto, who put together a poor performance at right-back, 11 minutes before half-time. And Benoit Badiashine managed to do worse than Gusto by carelessly giving the ball away inside his own box to set up Matt Doherty for Wolves’ second.