04 February 2024 , 16:31
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Chelsea supporters sang the name of former owner Roman Abramovich as the Blues fell to their first home defeat by Wolves since 1979.
Mauricio Pochettino's side were unbeaten in 10 matches at home heading into the game and even went one goal up against Wolves thanks to Cole Palmer's early effort. However, Chelsea could not prevent Matheus Cunha's hat-trick and eventually, Thiago Silva's late goal only proved a consolation in a 4-2 defeat.
Gary O'Neil's side completed a double over the west London side after they also won 2-1 in December at Molineux. The three points saw the Midlands side leapfrog Chelsea in the table with Pochettino's team dropping to 11th.
It leaves the club struggling to show progress from 12 months before, despite qualifying for the Carabao Cup final, after a second disappointing display in seven days after a 4-1 defeat by Liverpool in midweek. Pochettino's tenure will continue to come under scrutiny but the ownership group of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital will be contrasted with Abramovich too.
The Blues have spent more than £1billion since the club's takeover in May 2022 but signed no players during the January transfer window. Instead, the club were open to offers for homegrown players such as Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja.
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The latter completed a loan move to Fulham on deadline day with an initial £50m asking price touted, and unwillingness to allow a temporary move away without an obligation to make it permanent. In the end, Chelsea allowed Broja to simply move on loan with no commitment to a future transfer.
Chelsea saw a major overhaul in playing staff over the summer as the likes of Kai Haverts, Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all departed. Palmer has hit the ground running since his arrival but Chelsea have struggled to see their new squad meet their valuations to challenge at the top of the table.
Chelsea next turn to their FA Cup replay versus Aston Villa as they search for success in domestic cup competition to live up to their moniker of chaos and trophies. Without improvement in the Premier League and silverware to rely upon, the club's ownership will continue to draw comparisons to Abramovich and supporters will hark back to the days of the Russian businessman where they won five Premier League titles, five FA Cup trophies, three League Cups and two Champions League titles across two decades.
Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (UEFA via Getty Images)Abramovich had European Union sanctions imposed on him following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and stepped down at Chelsea as a result, after several MPs suggested his position was untenable due to his alleged links to Vladimir Putin.
He said at the time: "During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the Club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities.
"I have always taken decisions with the Club's best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea's charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC. I believe that currently, they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans." Abramovich recently lost a legal challenge aimed at overturning the European Union sanctions imposed on him.