Wolves VS Chelsea

While some Wolves fans may have bought tickets for last week's West Ham trip expecting a closely-fought top-flight clash, they instead found themselves witnessing the Lucas Paqueta show at the London Stadium.The outstanding Brazilian became only the second Selecao player to record three assists in a Premier League game, joining Roberto Firmino in that exclusive club. Paqueta orchestrated two first-half goals for Mohammed Kudus and set up Jarrod Bowen, sealing a decisive victory for West Ham.Former West Ham player O'Neil, reflecting on the match, lamented his side's "disastrous decision-making," as they conceded three goals and failed to convert 56% possession and 14 shots—one more than the Europa Conference League winners—into anything meaningful.With a fourth consecutive away defeat, Wolves currently sit in 13th place in the table heading into the final pre-Christmas fixtures. While results going against them on Saturday could potentially push them closer to the demotion zone, they currently enjoy a 10-point cushion over Luton Town at this stage.

Before the talk of a revived European Super League resurfaced, Chelsea, a vocal opponent of the project, took a significant step toward domestic glory on Tuesday in the EFL Cup quarter-finals against a depleted Newcastle side.Callum Wilson's impressive solo run and finish appeared to be the decisive moment, but Mykhaylo Mudryk capitalized on a mistake from Trippier to force penalties. In the shootout, Newcastle's right-back Trippier faltered, and Dorde Petrovic saved Matt Ritchie's attempt, setting up a two-legged semi-final clash with Middlesbrough.Mauricio Pochettino, still seeking his first team honor in English football, is contributing to the reconstruction at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, having comfortably defeated Sheffield United 2-0 last weekend, currently sits in 10th place, squarely in the middle of the rankings.Despite securing three consecutive away wins between October and November, Chelsea has now suffered defeats in their last three top-flight away contests against Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Everton. Not since December 2000, a streak of five matches, have they experienced four consecutive away losses.The Blues halted that unfortunate streak with a Christmas Day draw against Ipswich Town that year. However, their April visit to Molineux brought no joy for the returning Frank Lampard, as Chelsea succumbed to a 1-0 defeat, leaving them without a victory at Wolves' ground since 2019.