toptop
Chelsea
secured the result they needed in beating Wolves 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to
finish fourth in the Premier League and qualify for next season's Champions
League.
Two goals in first-half stoppage time by Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud took the
game away from Wolves, who will have to wait to find out whether their
seventh-place finish will be enough for Europa League football next season.
That will depend on Chelsea beating Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Saturday and
Frank Lampard's side will certainly go to Wembley with confidence after this
win.
The Chelsea boss made the bold decision to axe Kepa Arrizabalaga for Willy
Caballero and it paid off with the veteran goalkeeper keeping a clean sheet.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Caballero (7); Azpilicueta (7), Zouma (7), Rudiger
(7), James (7), Jorginho (7), Kovacic (8), Alonso (7), Pulisic (7), Giroud (8),
Mount (8).
Subs: Hudson-Odoi (6), Abraham (6), Pedro (n/a), Loftus-Cheek
(n/a), Barkley (n/a).
Wolves: Patricio (6), Saiss (6), Coady (5), Boly (6), Doherty
(6), Neves (6), Dendoncker (6), Jonny (5), Neto (5), Jimenez (5), Jota (5).
Subs: Traore (6), Moutinho (6), Podence (6), Vinagre (5),
Jordao (n/a)
Man of the match: Mason Mount
How Chelsea did it...
In truth, Caballero did not have much to do. Although the tempo of the game was
good early on, it appeared to be something of a stalemate with both teams
playing 3-4-3 and chances at a premium.
The breakthrough came just before half-time when Pedro Neto was unfortunately
adjudged to have fouled Marcos Alonso on the edge of the Wolves penalty box.
Mount stepped up and curled the ball expertly beyond Rui Patricio to give
Chelsea the lead and within minutes the home side doubled their advantage.
Christian Pulisic, so impressive against Liverpool earlier in the week, fed
Mount and he put Giroud through on goal. There was plenty for the Frenchman
still to do but he rounded Patricio and got to the loose ball before Conor Coady
to hook home.
Nuno Espirito Santo attempted to find a way back into the game by introducing
Adama Traore for the second half before making a triple substitution soon after,
but Chelsea maintained their control.
Again, opportunities were minimal with Pulisic striking one shot over the bar
and Mount dragging an effort wide, but the job had been done by that point with
Wolves posing little threat.
Caballero was forced into one save by Diogo Jota but the visitors' only hope was
for Crystal Palace to pull off a shock win over Tottenham and allow them to stay
sixth.
That was not forthcoming and while Manchester United's win over Leicester denied
Chelsea third spot, Lampard would have taken this result - and indeed this first
season in charge.
Frank Lampard's verdict
"I am delighted with the performance going up against a Wolves team that have a
lot of quality and are really difficult to play against," Lampard told Sky
Sports.
"I just thought the discipline of the team was brilliant. We know that clean
sheets have been a problem for us but [I was pleased with] the way that they
have defended right until the end. Mason's strike was pure quality and Olivier
Giroud did what he has been doing for us through this period. I am really proud
of the team today. They have worked hard for that this year."
Opta stats
After just five wins at Stamford Bridge in their opening 13 Premier League games
this season, Chelsea have ended the season with six successive home victories.
Wolves have lost their first Premier League game in London since March 2012 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.
At the age of 33, Olivier Giroud has become the oldest player to score in five
consecutive Premier League starts, taking over from Jamie Vardy.
What's next?
There is no rest for Chelsea as they aim to add silverware to the season by
beating Arsenal in the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday. The following weekend sees
them travel to Munich to take on Bayern Munich in the second leg of their
Champions League tie. Progress seems unlikely given that they lost 3-0 in the
first leg at Stamford Bridge.
Wolves will have a keen eye on that FA Cup final against Arsenal, of course, but
they still have Europa League commitments to attend to this season regardless of
what happens at Wembley. Olympiakos visit Molineux on Thursday August 6 for the
second leg of their round-of-16 tie after drawing 1-1 in the first leg in
Athens.
Click Here For Official Team Sheet
Teams
Chelsea Caballero, James, Rudiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta (c),
Alonso, Kovacic (Loftus-Cheek 85), Jorginho (Barkley 88), Mount (Pedro 85),
Pulisic (Hudson-Odoi 78), Giroud (Abraham 78)
Subs Not Used Kepa, Christensen, Tomori, Emerson
Booked Giroud, Azpilicueta
Goals Mount 45+1, Giroud 45+4
Wolverhampton Wanderers Rui Patricio, Dendoncker, Coady (c),
Boly, Doherty (Podence 59), Neves (Moutinho 59), Saiss, Jonny (Vinagre 58), Neto
(Traore 46), Jota (Jordao 84), Jimenez
Subs Not Used Ruddy, Kilman, Buur, Gibbs-White
Booked Jota, Neto, Dendoncker
Goals
Attendance 0
Referee Stuart Attwell
VAR Simon Hooper