With an uninspired goalless draw against Wolverhampton at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea started life under Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel was left with plenty to ponder as his side dominated possession a day after replacing Frank Lampard in the Stamford Bridge hot seat. Almost 900 passes were strung together by Chelsea against a defensive Wolves and were quick meat for the well-drilled rearguard visitors. A more lively second period followed an entirely forgettable first half at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea coming close to giving Tuchel a dream start on a few occasions.
A great chance was blasted over the bar by Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi, a surprise starter, had a deflected shot saved. Actually, when Pedro Neto scooped a shot into the roof of the net, it was Wolves who had the best chance. Chelsea’s poor run of form, which cost Lampard’s great club his job, continues. They’ve only managed to win twice in their last nine league games. In the first half, there were a lot of positives since the last game, but there was nothing to get excited about except an Antonio Rudiger header.
After the break, Tuchel obviously called for further bravery, but it took Chelsea a long time to begin to threaten. Shortly after Kai Havertz had set up Chilwell, who lifted his shot over the bar, Mateo Kovacic figured he had scored with a terrific curling effort. Tuchel waited until the 75th minute to send Pulisic in and shortly afterward gave Mount the opportunity to prove that it was a mistake to leave him out.
Mount looked amazing and a great turn almost resulted in an opening, but no one in a blue shirt found his cut back. Wolves displayed none of the flairs they were synonymous with, but when Daniel Podence played him in, Neto almost shocked the hosts, but his audacious scooped lob went just over.
Chelsea now sit 8th with 30 points level with Arsenal while Wolves are 13th with 23 points.
