Premier League
ChelseaChelsea2WolvesWolverhampton Wanderers0

Chelsea 2-0 Wolves: Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud secure win

By Shamoon HafezBBC Sport
Mason Mount scores
Mason Mount scored his seventh league goal of the season

Chelsea sealed fourth place in the Premier League to wrap up qualification for next season's Champions League with a comfortable victory over Wolves.

Frank Lampard's side needed a point from the potentially nervy encounter at Stamford Bridge in order to clinch a top-four place - but they claimed all three in style.

Mason Mount's delightful 25-yard curling free-kick and Olivier Giroud's effort from close range were just 144 seconds apart shortly before half-time and they settled the contest.

The defeat means Nuno Espirito Santo's men finish seventh behind Tottenham on goal difference after Jose Mourinho's side drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace.

However Wolves' league position could still be enough to claim a Europa League place for next season, should the Blues beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final next month.

Chelsea ended the season on the same points as Manchester United, who beat Leicester City 2-0, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side finish third on goal difference.

Chelsea to push on next season?

Despite winning the Europa League last season and finishing third, Chelsea replaced Italian manager Maurizio Sarri with club legend Lampard, who was in his first role in management at Derby.

Chelsea 2-0 Wolves: Chelsea played it out perfectly against Wolves - Frank Lampard

With champions Liverpool and runners-up Manchester City possessing strong and settled sides, Lampard will have been tasked with emulating his predecessor by securing Champions League football for next season.

He has duly achieved that and there is the real possibility of ending the campaign with further success with the FA Cup final at Wembley still to come.

A number of youth players have featured in the starting line-up this season including striker Tammy Abraham and defender Reece James - but England playmaker Mount has been the pick of the bunch.

He demonstrated his class just when his side needed it in the crucial game against Wolves.

There was little happening in a cagey and uneventful encounter until the sprightly midfielder curled in a glorious free-kick following Pedro Neto's foul on Marcos Alonso.

If there was still any tension in the Chelsea ranks, it surely will have disappeared just two minutes later when France World Cup winner Giroud took the ball past Rui Patricio and slid in his seventh goal in his last eight starts.

New signing Timo Werner was at the game and with Hakim Ziyech also joining from Ajax as well as the prospect of Germany winger Kai Havertz also arriving, Chelsea will possess a formidable attacking armoury next term.

But despite keeping a clean sheet in this game, the 54 league goals conceded this season is only one short of their worst tally - so a centre-back is also likely to be on Lampard's agenda, as will a goalkeeper.

The confidence of Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world's most expensive keeper, will not have improved after being dropped for the game in favour of 38-year-old Willy Caballero, whose only meaningful contribution was to claw out Leander Dendoncker's dangerous cross.

Wolves' season continues

Wolves have endured a long and arduous campaign that started one year and one day ago in the Europa League and has seen them travel nearly 30,000 miles during that period.

Chelsea 2-0 Wolves: Nuno praises Wolves’ commitment and belief

Nuno's men are still in the Europa League and face Olympiakos in the last 16 next month, but they will have to go all the way in that competition to seal a Champions League place - or rely on a favour from Chelsea at Wembley to compete on the continent next term.

They will lament back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Sheffield United at the start of the month as the reason they missed out on a top-six place and although they held out until first-half injury time against Chelsea, the home side's two quick-fire goals took the wind out of them.

Wolves never really looked like getting back into the game in the second period but can be proud of a season in which they collected 59 points, their highest tally in the Premier League.

Man of the match - Mason Mount (Chelsea)

Mason Mount scores
Mount has nine goals for club and country in what has been a breakthrough season

Wolves' continental cast - the stats

  • Chelsea are unbeaten in all six of their Premier League home games against Wolves (W5 D1), last losing against them in the top flight at Stamford Bridge in March 1979 (1-2).
  • Wolves have lost five of their six closing-day matches in the Premier League, winning the other against Sunderland in 2009-10.
  • After just five wins at Stamford Bridge in their opening 13 Premier League games this season (D3 L5), Chelsea have ended the season with six successive home victories.
  • Wolves have lost their first Premier League game in London since March 2012 (5-0 v Fulham), with Chelsea ending their 10-game unbeaten run in the capital.
  • Wolves are the fourth different side to go through an entire Premier League campaign without any English goalscorers (excluding own goals), after Fulham (2001-02 and 2005-06), Arsenal (2006-07) and Stoke (2015-16).
  • Olivier Giroud has scored eight Premier League goals this season, his best tally since 2016-17 when he netted 12 for Arsenal.
  • At the age of 33, Giroud has become the oldest player to score in five consecutive Premier League starts, taking over from Jamie Vardy (32).
  • Mason Mount is the second Englishman to score a direct free-kick for Chelsea in the Premier League, after current manager Frank Lampard.
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Line-ups

Chelsea

Formation 3-4-3

  • 13Caballero
  • 28AzpilicuetaBooked at 90mins
  • 15Zouma
  • 2Rüdiger
  • 24James
  • 5JorginhoSubstituted forBarkleyat 88'minutes
  • 17KovacicSubstituted forLoftus-Cheekat 85'minutes
  • 3Alonso
  • 19MountSubstituted forPedroat 85'minutes
  • 18GiroudBooked at 45minsSubstituted forAbrahamat 78'minutes
  • 22PulisicSubstituted forHudson-Odoiat 78'minutes

Substitutes

  • 1Arrizabalaga
  • 4Christensen
  • 8Barkley
  • 9Abraham
  • 11Pedro
  • 12Loftus-Cheek
  • 20Hudson-Odoi
  • 29Tomori
  • 33Emerson

Wolves

Formation 3-4-3

  • 11Rui Patrício
  • 15Boly
  • 16Coady
  • 27Saïss
  • 2DohertySubstituted forPodenceat 59'minutes
  • 32DendonckerBooked at 83mins
  • 8NevesSubstituted forJoão Moutinhoat 59'minutes
  • 19Castro OttoSubstituted forVinagreat 58'minutes
  • 7NetoBooked at 45minsSubstituted forTraoréat 45'minutes
  • 9Jiménez
  • 18JotaBooked at 22minsSubstituted forCavaco Jordãoat 84'minutes

Substitutes

  • 6Cavaco Jordão
  • 10Podence
  • 17Gibbs-White
  • 21Ruddy
  • 28João Moutinho
  • 29Vinagre
  • 37Traoré
  • 49Kilman
  • 59Buur
Referee:
Stuart Attwell

Match Stats

Home TeamChelseaAway TeamWolves
Possession
Home63%
Away37%
Shots
Home11
Away5
Shots on Target
Home3
Away1
Corners
Home3
Away3
Fouls
Home10
Away16

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Chelsea 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Chelsea 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0.

  3. Post update

    Kurt Zouma (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  4. Post update

    Foul by Raúl Jiménez (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

  5. Post update

    Offside, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Raúl Jiménez tries a through ball, but Daniel Podence is caught offside.

  6. Post update

    Attempt saved. Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Marcos Alonso.

  7. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Willy Boly (Wolverhampton Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Bruno Jordão.

  8. Booking

    César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  9. Post update

    Foul by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea).

  10. Post update

    Daniel Podence (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  11. Post update

    Attempt missed. Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Reece James with a cross following a corner.

  12. Post update

    Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Rúben Vinagre.

  13. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Ross Barkley replaces Jorginho.

  14. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces Mateo Kovacic.

  15. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Pedro replaces Mason Mount.

  16. Substitution

    Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bruno Jordão replaces Diogo Jota.

  17. Booking

    Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  18. Post update

    Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  19. Post update

    Foul by Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

  20. Post update

    Foul by Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea).

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As It Stood

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Liverpool38323385335299
2Man City382639102356781
3Man Utd381812866363066
4Chelsea382061269541566
5Leicester381881267412662
6Tottenham3816111161471459
7Wolves381514951401159
8Arsenal381414105648856
9Sheff Utd381412123939054
10Burnley38159144350-754
11Southampton38157165160-952
12Everton381310154456-1249
13Newcastle381111163858-2044
14Crystal Palace381110173150-1943
15Brighton38914153954-1541
16West Ham38109194962-1339
17Aston Villa3898214167-2635
18Bournemouth3897224065-2534
19Watford38810203664-2834
20Norwich3856272675-4921
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