Soccer Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 24, 2023 Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino looks dejected Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
(Reuters) - Chelsea can only blame themselves for missing early chances in their 2-1 Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, manager Mauricio Pochettino said.
After a goalless first half in which Raheem Sterling spurned a golden opportunity to put Chelsea in front, Mario Lemina headed in a corner to give Wolves the lead before Matt Doherty sealed the win in added time.
"We made a mistake, we need to blame ourselves. That's why we didn't win today, because in the first half we had the chances to score," Pochettino told reporters.
"In the Premier League if you're not clinical enough when you have chances, always you can concede. We didn't compete in the first five minutes of the second half, we conceded too many corners. In these moments it's about competing better and being stronger.
"I agree we're our own enemy. I don't want to take credit away from Wolves. They scored and they did their job. But in the first half we were the better side. And because of lack of capacity to score, we didn't win the game."
Chelsea, 10th in the standings, next host Crystal Palace on Wednesday before travelling to Luton Town on Saturday.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
