Wolves 2-5 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2019-20 

Tammy Abraham was amongst the goals once again as Chelsea beat Wolves
Tammy Abraham was amongst the goals once again as Chelsea beat Wolves

Chelsea got back to winning ways in spectacular fashion as they outclassed Wolverhampton Wanderers in their own backyard by a score line of 2-5. Fikayo Tomori netted an absolute screamer just after the hour mark in what was the Blues' first shot on target, before Tammy Abraham put two past Rui Patricio to take his goal tally to six for the season.

He added a third goal in the second half to put the result beyond doubt. An Abraham own goal and Patrick Cutrone net-bulger did act as consolation for the hosts, but they were far from enough to salvage something on an afternoon when Chelsea were simply unforgiving.

Mason Mount, who put in a top-class shift, capped off his occasion with a goal in stoppage time. All of the Blues' goals have been scored by Englishmen and all these goals have been scored by academy graduates.

On that note, we look at the five major talking points from Chelsea's second win of the season.


#5 Frank Lampard names a different, interesting line-up

Lampard shows he's ready to exercise excitability going forward in his Chelsea tenure
Lampard shows he's ready to exercise excitability going forward in his Chelsea tenure

Under pressure after succumbing to a 2-2 draw at home to Sheffield United after having lead by two goals at half time, Lampard tinkered with his shape, setup and line up against Wolves.

Lampard started with a unique 3-4-2-1 formation - a contrasting configuration when compared to his managerial career at Derby and early Chelsea days.

Kepa Arrizabalaga started in goal, with three and not four in front of him. Antonio Rudiger enjoyed his return down the right of the back three, with Tomori on the opposite channel. Andreas Christensen was given the nod at the heart of the defence.

Marcos Alonso came in for his first game of this PL season, at left wing back. Cesar Azpilicueta led the side from the opposite flank, with Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in midfield.

Up front were Willian and Mount, who often interchanged positions and had the freedom to play wider or central and bring the others into play. Abraham led the line and he subsequently notched up a hat-trick.

#4 Fikayo Tomori grants Chelsea the lead in a cagey opening 30 minutes

Fikayo Tomori broke the deadlock just after the half an hour mark
Fikayo Tomori broke the deadlock just after the half an hour mark

As envisioned after the announcements of the two line-ups, both sides canceled each other out in the opening exchanges of the game.

It looked like the goals, if they were to come, would be scored through some sort of a miscommunication or positional error. While a few of them did unfold due to the aforementioned, only a few would've expected Chelsea to split Wolves apart the way they did in the closing 15 minutes of the first half.

A lot of interceptions were made, both teams chipped in with a good level of press and popped up with tackles.

However, Tomori produced a shot of sheer brilliance from 35 yards out after a corner routine had gone horribly wrong for the visitors. Rui Patricio should have done a lot better with his placing, as he left himself wrong-footed by moving to his left.

#3 Tammy Abraham is the complete package

Tammy Abraham is looking the part
Tammy Abraham is looking the part

Tammy Abraham is a complete striker. There are a lot of ups and downs he has to endure in his career moving forward, but at the moment, he is the cream of the crop.

To put crazy, senseless racist remarks on social media behind, to dust off the missed penalty against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup, to score seven goals in three games at the tender age of 21 takes a lion-hearted mentality and effort.

Besides this fighter's attitude from Abraham, there are a lot of other attributes to appreciate about the striker's approach.

First and foremost, during an attack that is nullified by opposition press, Abraham drops his shoulder, uses his body to great effect and draws opponents out of their position to free up space for onrushing players.

Next, he is physical, willing and tireless. Even after his side were 4-0 up and he had three goals to his name, Abraham didn't stop running, as he continued to close down Wolves' forwards and blocked passing lanes.

Speaking of his goals, the first one showcased his fantastic awareness as he took a superb first touch, turned with precision and launched a shot against Patricio's momentum.

Conor Coady made a mess of tracking the marksman's run, but he did exceptionally well to show the right appetite and get in front of the Wolves skipper.

The third goal was just as good. There, Abraham displayed his confidence, dribbling skill and finishing, finding the left bottom corner with aplomb.

He's a man on top of his game right now.

#2 Kepa's form has gone unnoticed this season so far

Kepa has struggled to replicate last season's form
Kepa has struggled to replicate last season's form

Chelsea may have lashed five past an otherwise robust Wolves back line, but one player didn't quite turn up for his side. And that man is the world's most expensive goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The young shot-stopper, who enjoyed a fantastic first season at Chelsea, keeping the third most clean sheets in the league, making world-class saves and smothering penalties away, has not lived up to his lofty expectations.

Kepa headed into this game after a promising couple of displays for his national side, but couldn't quite produce the same today.

He has a save percentage of less than 45 now in the league, which interestingly is the lowest among the 20 keepers in the division.

The first goal went in off a header to his left. Fair to say, the 24-year-old should have gobbled that up all day. He practices that sort of drill six days a week at Cobham.

Wolves' second got the Molineux on their feet, but there again, Kepa should have done better in parrying Matt Doherty's shot away.

He needs to start saving them and earn his first clean sheet, because not a lot went wrong defensively.

#1 Frank Lampard and not Tammy Abraham, was the MoTM

Lampard won every single tactical battle off the pitch
Lampard won every single tactical battle off the pitch

Yes, Tammy Abraham took the match ball home, but Frank Lampard deserved a man of the match award. He's often won it while wearing the Chelsea blue on the pitch, but this time, he should have received the same, off it.

For starters, he got his line up right. Lampard knew he had to fix a wretched defense. He knew he had to install Marcos Alonso in the line-up. He did extremely well to plot a three-man back line, with Fikayo Tomori, Christensen and Rudiger. The Englishman also did brilliantly to deploy Alonso in the wing back role.

Not only did that counter Wolves' approach in the wider areas of the pitch, it also kept the game at pace in the opening 30 minutes. As a result, the home side lost focus and shipped goals rather swiftly after that.

As far as man management is concerned, Lampard ticked all boxes, highlighting the same by subbing out Rudiger for Kurt Zouma. He kept the injury in mind, along with one eye on the home fixture against Valencia in this season's Champions League opener.

Further, the Englishman's tactics in all departments, ranging from the crossing game to how Mount and Willian operated, paid massive dividends.

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