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#3 Hit: Daniel Podence
In the absence of Raul Jimenez, Podence has emerged as Wolves’ most potent goal threat. The Midlands outfit has struggled to find the net on a regular basis since their first-choice striker was injured against Arsenal a few weeks ago, but the 25-year-old has been the brightest light in attack.
The Portuguese international ended a long goal drought for Wolves with a sparkling individual effort, dribbling past a couple of Chelsea defenders before unleashing a powerful effort that beat Edouard Mendy at his near post.
In addition to his goal, Podence was one of Wolves’ best attacking outlets on the night. He popped up on either flank and gave Chelsea’s back-line a hard time with his direct running and trickery.
As such, Podence’s excellent recent performances are a welcome bonus for Wolves as they await the return of their prolific centre-forward. His showing against Chelsea will no doubt win him a lot of favour with the fans and his manager as well.
#4 Flop: Nelson Semedo
Deployed in an unfamiliar right wing-back role as Wolves reverted to three at the back for this game, Semedo was outnumbered on the right flank. Pulisic, Chilwell, and Mount all made it a point to attack down his side.
Pulisic, in particular, gave Semedo a lot of grief, turning his this way and that and drawing a series of fouls from the former Barcelona man. And when Semedo was able to keep Pulisic at bay, it was at the cost of leaving space for Chilwell to run into and deliver crosses into the box.
There was little joy to be had in an attacking sense for Semedo either. His forays forward resulted either in wayward crosses or speculative long-range shots, none of which troubled the Chelsea defence. A late booking for a clumsy foul capped a poor showing from the Portuguese international.
#5 Hit: Ben Chilwell
While England have an embarrassment of riches to call upon in the right-back department, left-back is not a position in which they are similarly blessed.
With a string of excellent performances for his new side this season, Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell has emerged as the undisputed first-choice for Gareth Southgate in the national setup.
The Englishman turned in yet another accomplished performance against Wolves, showing great attacking intent as he regularly got up and down Chelsea’s left flank. Chilwell supplied a series of probing crosses into the box for his forward line to attack, one of which led to Giroud’s opener in the second half.
Not only did Chilwell pose a serious attacking threat, but he also fulfilled his defensive responsibilities by popping up with a few vital interceptions as Wolves looked to hit Chelsea on the counter. Despite ending up on the losing side, the 23-year-old emerged from the game as one of a few Chelsea players that acquitted themselves well on the night.
