Frank Lampard's Chelsea homecoming began in miserable fashion as Wolverhampton Wanderers claimed a 1-0 win over the West London club at Molineux in the Premier League.
An outrageous first-half strike from Matheus Nunes propelled Julen Lopetegui's men over the line, as Chelsea paid the price for a passive attacking performance in the West Midlands.
A succession of corners led to few clear-cut chances for either side in a cagey opening, although Lopetegui's side enjoyed the lion's share of possession in front of their own fans and showed plenty of purpose against the Blues' backline.
With Chelsea doing little to test the gloves of Jose Sa, Wolves midfielder Nunes showed Lampard's wealth of expensive attacking talent how it is done with a scorcher of an opening goal in the 31st minute.
A cross sent into the Chelsea box was partially headed clear by Kalidou Koulibaly, and Nunes arrived on the right-hand side of the box to send a rocket of a half volley into the far corner.
A rather toothless Blues side could not claw their way back into the game before the half-time whistle blew, but the visitors felt that they should have had a chance to restore parity from the spot for a perceived Nunes handball, but neither Peter Bankes nor Andy Madley on VAR saw any reason to intervene.
Wolves continued to keep Chelsea at bay with ease as the game approached its final 20 minutes, leading Lampard to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in from the cold, but the striker's first act was to send a header off target from Reece James's cross in the 70th minute.
Lampard's substitutions ultimately failed to pay dividends as the Blues legend endured a disappointing return to the dugout, leaving his side entrenched in 11th place before they tackle Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Wolves have climbed two places into 12th by ending a three-game winless run, and Lopetegui's crop are next in action at home to Brentford on April 15.
Ben Knapton
