Chelsea suffered a Christmas Eve to forget as Wolves condemned Mauricio Pochettino’s men to an eighth Premier League defeat of a tepid campaign.
Second-half goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty secured victory for the hosts, who recorded successive league wins against Chelsea for the first time in nearly half a century.
Substitute Christopher Nkunku headed home in injury time on his Premier League debut but it was not enough to salvage a point for the Blues.
This was another day when Chelsea’s failings in attack came back to haunt them.
Nicolas Jackson’s contribution was so underwhelming his exit 10 minutes from time was cheered by the Chelsea fans.
The result leaves Chelsea 10th, seven points off qualification for the Europa Conference League, which, even at this stage, looks the best the Londoners can hope for.
Wolves are now level on points with the Blues after a battling display from Gary O’Neil’s men, although the victory came at a price as experienced defender Craig Dawson limped off during the second half with what appeared to be a serious injury.