Chelsea FC sealed Champions League qualification in style with two goals in quick succession propelling the Blues to a 2-0 victory over Wolves. The result meant that Frank Lampard achieved a top-four finish with his side in his first season as manager at Stamford Bridge.
Going into the game, the Blues required at least a draw to finish above Leicester City in the Premier League standings and qualify for next season’s Champions League. And Chelsea FC looked set to do just that from the very first minute of the match with their attacking instinct.
Early chances did fall the way of the visitors, requiring the center-back pairing of Rudiger and Zouma to nip them in the bud. Wolves right-back Matt Doherty looked lively on the flank, with his crosses into the box picking out the lurking Raúl Jiménez.
The Blues had their first attempt on target of the afternoon when Reece James’ effort went off the goal. A glorious opportunity to put his side ahead fell in-form striker Olivier Giroud’s way, but the Frenchman’s header off a Mason Mount delivery went flying over the crossbar.
Willy Cabellero, deputizing in goal for the Blues in place of Kepa, had to keep his calm to claw a deflected cross from Pedro Neto from going into the goal. On the other end of the pitch, a foul on Marcos Alonso meant that the Blues were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Mount scored an absolute beauty of a free-kick, curling his effort over the wall and into the top-left corner, leaving Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio no chance to deny his effort. Just minutes later, in the dying moments of first-half’s stoppage time, a clever linkup play between Jorginho and Mount led to the latter teeing up Giroud.
The striker nudged the ball past Patricio, held off Conor Coady with sheer strength, and slammed the ball into the back of the net to double Chelsea FC’s advantage going into the second half. The goal was Giroud’s fifth in his last six league outings, emphasizing the Frenchman’s value to Frank Lampard’s side.
Wolves attempted to stage a comeback in the second half, with the club harboring Europa League aspirations of their own. Adama Traore was brought on by Nuno Espírito Santo in the hope of pulling one back for his side.
Diego Jota had a pop at the goal from a reasonable distance, however, the Portuguese’s effort was comfortably saved by Cabellero. The Argentine goalkeeper hardly had any saves to make during the course of the ninety minutes.
The game soon finished with no goals coming from either side in the closing 45 minutes. Victory at Stamford Bridge was a crucial one for Lampard and his side, enabling the Blues to compete in Europe’s most prestigious club competition next season.
MATCH STATS
SCORE: 2-0
Possession: Chelsea FC- 63% Wolves FC- 37%
Corners: Chelsea FC- 3 Wolves FC- 3
Shots: Chelsea FC- 21 Wolves FC- 2
Offsides: Chelsea FC- 3 Wolves FC- 1
