Chelsea travelled to Wolverhampton Wanderers for the Premier League's first Christmas Eve fixture since 1995, but there wasn't too much cheer as the Blues were beaten 2-1 at Molineux.
Mario Lemina headed home from Pablo Sarabia's corner to score the opener shortly after half-time, before Matt Doherty added a second which left Chelsea without anything to take home despite a late Christopher Nkunku header.
While the Blues stay ahead of their hosts to remain 10th, they are now level on points with Wolves and Bournemouth.
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Positives
There was plenty of exciting play from Chelsea, with incisive running and passing in the first half. Raheem Sterling was the most obvious example of that before missing a big chance as Nélson Semedo struggled to deal with the winger. Even in periods where they weren't playing well, Chelsea still got into promising positions. It will be pleasing to see Nkunku score on his Premier League debut, six months after he officially joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig.
Negatives
After dominating large periods of the first half, Chelsea should have established a lead by the time they were put under pressure, but they had been too wasteful in front of José Sá's goal. There was also some sloppy play at the back that only added to the pressure, and a terrible start to the second half was compounded by conceding with weak defending. There was a lack of discipline, with yellow cards being earned for dissent and kicking the ball away.
Manager rating
Mauricio Pochettino, 6 -- Opted to play both Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja up front from the start, but neither of them looked particularly impressive. Decided to not change anything at half-time and soon saw his side go behind, although his substitutes injecting some life into the attacking when they were brought on. Will need to do more work on defending corners on the training ground.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Djordje Petrovic, 6 -- Didn't have too much to do in the first half but decisively came out to prevent Semedo from reaching a ball behind the Blues' defence. Made a great save to deny Toti Gomes after the restart but there was nothing he could do about either goal. Palmed away Tommy Doyle's strike.
DF Malo Gusto, 5 -- Made some great bursts forward, with one of those resulting in a pass from which Broja should have scored. Was nowhere near strong enough when defending the corner for Lemina's goal and that set the tone for his second half. The right-back looked unconvincing, was booked for throwing the ball away and conceded a chance with a poor touch.
DF Axel Disasi, 6 -- Came out of an awkward situation against Hwang Hee-Chan with a free kick. Stood strong in more potentially difficult scenarios, notably against Craig Dawson at set pieces. Sloppy play put his team in trouble shortly after the goal.
DF Thiago Silva, 6 -- Made some big clearances, including a no-nonsense one after his teammates had cheaply lost possession in the corner. He was caught on one occasion when Hwang ran behind him and conceded the ball needlessly on the edge of the box on another occasion. Did well to halt Hwang towards the end.
DF Levi Colwill, 6 -- Was saved by Petrovic on one occasion after a ball sailed over his head. Had an intriguing battle against Pablo Sarabia, notably doing well to stop him when there was a chance to break. Halted Hwang to save his team after a mistake from Disasi.
MF Cole Palmer, 6 -- Hit one wild shot harmlessly off-target before seeing another deflected over just before half-time. Got on the ball in some good positions in the second half and laid the ball off for Sterling's chance. Petulantly got himself booked and consequently misses the next game.
MF Lesley Ugochukwu, 6 -- Looked tidy on the ball and passed it nicely in the first half. Recovered well to save Silva after he had conceded possession on the edge of the box. But, having looked dominant in the air during the first period, he didn't do enough to stop Lemina heading in the opener and went off injured soon after.
MF Conor Gallagher, 6 -- Took up a good position to cut out João Gomes' pass but there were times where he looked uncomfortable receiving the ball from his defenders and conceded free-kicks in dangerous areas. Booked on the half-hour mark for bringing down Rayan Ait Nouri.
MF Raheem Sterling, 8 -- Semedo simply couldn't deal with Sterling during large periods of the first half as he made direct runs and played incisive passes that Broja and Jackson wasted. However, the winger let the biggest chance of them all pass him by after robbing Gomes of the ball but having his shot saved when one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Eventually got his assist with the cross for Nkunku's goal but was booked for diving, so he will miss the next match.
FW Nicolas Jackson, 5 -- Was let down by an awful touch following Sterling's cross and was far too ponderous after slipping between two Wolves defenders, allowing Semedo to get back. Got himself booked for dissent.
FW Armando Broja, 4 -- Took too long on the ball after being played in by Sterling and was tackled by Lemina, then made a mess of his attempt from Gusto's cross. Didn't offer much with his general play either, with his touch looking poor at times.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
Mykhailo Mudryk, 6 -- Replaced Broja in the 59th minute and showed plenty of intent but sometimes found that his final pass was lacking with one putting Gallagher in an awkward situation. His corner deliveries were also underwhelming.
Christopher Nkunku, 7 -- Replaced Ugochukwu in the 59th minute for his Premier League debut after spending most of this season out injured. Poked an effort towards goal, but it was cleared off the line, then had a header saved. Was rewarded with a goal from a nice header.
Ian Maatsen, N/R -- Replaced Colwill in the 80th minute and looked uncomfortable when called upon defensively, with Hwang rolling him easily.
Benoit Badiashile, N/R -- Replaced Gusto in the 80th minute, and his shocking clearance presented a chance on a plate for Doherty to score Wolves' second.
Noni Madueke, N/R -- Replaced Jackson in the 80th minute and made things happen. Was unlucky not to find Nkunku with his ball into the box, then hit a venomous ball that made things difficult for Sa, but he sent a shot marginally wide.