Chelsea suffered their third defeat in four Premier League matches as second-half goals from Mario Lemina and Republic of Ireland's Matt Doherty secured Wolves a well-deserved 2-1 victory at Molineux.
Lemina nodded in unmarked from Pablo Sarabia's corner early in the second half, a fair reward after Gary O’Neil's team endured early pressure and the visitors missed numerous chances, notably from Raheem Sterling.
Chelsea struggled to equalise, frequently failing to create clear opportunities in the final third, notably with Cole Palmer off his usual form.
In injury time, while Chelsea pressed forward, Wolves capitalised on a poor clearance as Hugo Bueno crossed for Doherty to emphatically slot home their second goal.
Substitute Christopher Nkunku scored his first goal for Chelsea in the dying minutes, but Mauricio Pochettino's team suffered their third consecutive away defeat in the league.
Armando Broja missed the game's initial opportunity. After Sterling passed to Malo Gusto on the right, his low cross found Albanian Broja perfectly positioned in the box as the lone striker, with Nicolas Jackson shifted to the wing. Broja attempted a first-time shot but completely missed the ball, squandering the chance.
Sterling posed the most threat for Chelsea in the first half, attacking Wolves from both flanks and delivering inviting crosses. The best chance fell to Jackson, who had space, but his touch didn't match his movement as the ball slipped beneath his foot and away.
Meanwhile, Benoît Badiashile failed to deal with a low cross into the middle and ended up laying it off to Doherty, who bagged an easy win for the home side.
Chelsea managed to net a goal soon after Wolves' second goal as Raheem Sterling' ball helped Christopher Nkunka to score with the header.
Sterling's ball into the middle, Nkunku completely free in the middle and he makes no mistake with the header.
After thirty minutes, it was time for his teammates to express their anger towards the England international. Sterling performed admirably in pressuring and dispossessing Joao Gomes, the last defender for Wolves, who hesitated while holding onto the ball deep in his own half. With the defense out of position, Sterling advanced towards the goal with Jackson and Palmer open on either side of him. Either of them could've easily scored, yet Sterling inexplicably chose to go alone, resulting in a feeble shot straight at Jose Sa.
Wolves' best opportunities of the half emerged in the final moments. First, Sarabia narrowly missed the target from outside the box due to a deflection. Then, Hee Chan Hwang sprinted clear of Levi Colwill from a lofted pass but shot over the bar.
They commenced the second half with a similar urgency, as Gomes struck a shot that brushed off Lesley Ugochukwu and grazed the post. Defender Toti then pushed forward from the back and forced an outstanding close-range save from Chelsea's substitute goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
It served as a warning that the visitors ignored, and the subsequent goal mirrored Toti's earlier chance almost identically. Sarabia's corner landed in the heart of the Chelsea penalty area, yet despite the evident danger, none of the blue-clad players leaped or made a move to challenge for the ball.
This allowed Lemina a straightforward header, rising above the grounded Ugochukwu to nod the ball towards the back post and beyond the helpless Petrovic.
Pochettino introduced Nkunku for his Premier League debut, replacing the ineffective Broja. Nkunku nearly provided an instant lifeline for Chelsea but was denied on the goal line by Toti, who cleared the ball in relief.
Sterling then came close again, receiving a pass from Palmer on the right after being found by Nkunku, only for a heroic last-minute block from Craig Dawson to deflect the ball over Sa's crossbar. The game's momentum was shifting in Chelsea's favour.
Their increasing confidence led to their downfall. Three minutes into added time, Bueno broke down the left, and Benoit Badiashile's attempted clearance was dreadful, allowing Doherty to strike it home, lifting the roof off Molineux.
Nkunku headed in from Sterling's cross minutes later, but hardly any Chelsea fans remained to witness it.
