Mauricio Pochettino admitted Chelsea are “not good enough” after they were beaten 4-2 by Wolves in front of a furious home support at Stamford Bridge.
Matheus Cunha’s hat-trick earned Gary O’Neil’s team a first victory on this ground since 1979.
The hosts meanwhile were booed off at half-time and again at the final whistle, with fans directing their anger at both the players and their manager following a 10th league defeat in 23 games this season.
“I think we are all not good enough at the moment, that’s the reality,” said Pochettino. “Myself also. I’m the first responsible for the situation. What we were showing today was that we are not good enough. I agree 100 per cent.
“We didn’t manage the situation properly. No one can be safe. I don’t want to come here and say I am the best and the players the worst. I think we are all responsible. But the players need to take responsibility also.
“At the moment we are not matching the history of the club. We need to accept that and to be critical but we cannot give up.”
Cole Palmer’s goal after 19 minutes looked to have put Chelsea en route to a fifth home league win in a row, slotting in from close range after Moises Caicedo’s clever ball had picked him out.
But that was to be as good as things got for the home side and within minutes their long capitulation to Wolves had begun. First, Caicedo gave the ball away in midfield and left a gap into which Cunha ran, cutting on to his right foot and hitting a shot that deflected in off Thiago Silva.
Chelsea had more of the ball but Wolves were more efficient and clinical in possession, summed up by the manner in which they took the lead before half-time. Nelson Semedo fed Pedro Neto down the right, his cross was met by Rayan Ait Nouri in the centre, who fired the ball against Axel Disasi and in for an own goal.
Wolves’ third brought fury from home supporters, who had booed their team off at the break. Now they sung the name of former owner Roman Abramovich, as anger at co-owner Todd Boehly’s stalled rebuild of their club boiled over. The goal, Cunha’s second, was well finished off from Neto’s cut-back as Wolves countered with devastating precision again.
Cunha got his hat-trick after Malo Gusto conceded a late penalty. Silva’s late headed goal from a corner for a Chelsea consolation could not take the sheen off Wolves’ victory, nor mask the depth of the Chelsea’s problems.
The Blues led for barely three minutes before Wolves pegged them back, a factor Pochettino believes ultimately led to their confidence and concentration collapsing.
“We didn’t start badly,” he said. “Then the way we conceded the first goal, the team suffered the impact. Rather than build momentum for us and to trust our play, it was a difficult moment to manage after that. The energy dropped.
“The main problem is we feel the pressure and the stress to win, to play well, to perform. We didn’t have time after we scored to build our momentum in the game and to dominate and to play easy and to feel confident.”
Wolves boss O’Neil reflected on a victory that lifted his team above Chelsea and into the top half of the table.
“We have comeback from setbacks a lot,” he said.
“We suffered heartbreak three days ago after working our socks off to get back against Manchester United (before losing 4-3). But it was straight to business.
“Really pleased, 32 points is something the group should be proud of at this stage and let’s see where we can go.”
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with AC Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to AC Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A, but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Schwarz believes pressure will bring out the best in Red Bulls
New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz says pressure is good for players as they prepare to face rivals New York City FC in the MLS Eastern Conference semifinal.
The Red Bulls beat defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew 1-0 in the first of their best-of-three series before edging them 5-4 on penalties in Game 2.
They are playing in the semifinals for the first time since 2018, though it is the first time they are meeting their city rivals in the postseason in their history.
Schwarz acknowledged there was a lot riding on this game but is sure the pressure can bring out the best in his team.
"To feel the pressure as a player and head coach is good," he told reporters. "We need the pressure to bring our best performance and level.
"Without pressure, it's not possible. Now we have this historic derby on Saturday and we're very excited.
"Our main target is to win this game, but our focus is to get a result like we had against Columbus. The last three weeks have been looking at how we can create our best performance for Saturday."
Meanwhile, NYCFC had to come from behind in round one after losing their first match to FC Cincinnati but won the second at home before going through with a 6-5 penalty shootout win in the decider.
Head coach Nick Cushing is delighted to have home advantage for the semifinal tie but says he is not yet thinking about securing the same fate in the next round.
"I've learned over my tenure here as assistant coach and as head coach that the next game is the most important part," Cushing said.
"The whole focus is hosting a playoff semifinal at home. We're really proud that we've done everything to get to this opportunity, but there are many more challenges ahead, and we cannot look further than the first 10 minutes of the game, because that is our main focus.
"And then, through there, we have a game plan and half-time. We're working through this game, and that is our whole focus."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New York City FC – Alonzo Martinez
Twelve of Alonzo Martinez's 17 goals this season (regular season and playoffs) have been scored in home matches, while Santiago Rodriguez has scored 11 of his 13 goals at home.
Both players found the net in NYCFC's home win over Cincinnati in Game 2 of their first-round series.
New York Red Bulls – Emil Forsberg
Emil Forsberg became the 14th different Red Bulls player to record a goal and an assist in a single playoff match in Game 2 of New York's first-round series against Columbus Crew.
No player has more than one such game in the team's postseason history.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK CITY FC WIN
This will be the first playoff meeting between New York City FC and the Red Bulls, but the fifth in knockout rounds in all competitions.
The Red Bulls eliminated NYCFC in each of the previous four knockout round meetings, doing so in the US Open Cup three times and the Leagues Cup once.
NYCFC has won five of their eight all-time home playoff matches, including the last three in a row. All three teams that defeated NYCFC on the road in the playoffs went on to reach the MLS Cup Final (Toronto FC in 2016 & 2019, Atlanta United in 2018).
The Red Bulls' 1-0 win at Columbus in Game 1 on October 29 ended a six-match road losing streak in postseason play for the club. The Red Bulls have won multiple road playoff games in a single season twice before, doing so in 2008 and 2017.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New York City FC – 46.5%
Draw – 26.5%
New York Red Bulls – 27%
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