Wolves defeated Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday, their fourth loss in six meetings, in the first Christmas Eve Premier League encounter since 1995.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team controlled possession at Molineux but squandered their opportunities in a thrilling contest marred by needless errors by the visitors.
Wolves had a 2-0 lead thanks to Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty, but Christopher Nkunku equalized on his Premier League debut.
The loss means a bleak Christmas for Chelsea, who sit in 10th place in the Premier League following their fourth defeat in six league games, behind Wolves only on goal difference.
Early in the game, both ends had opportunities.
Nelson Samedo raced forward but couldn’t reach Matheus Cunha on the left before Armando Broja fell in the box when well positioned at the other end.
Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea was likewise guilty of failing to capitalize on several golden opportunities.
Chelsea squandered a golden chance to grab the lead just after the half-hour mark when Raheem Sterling intercepted Joao Gomes 40 yards out and raced forward.
The England attacker was one-on-one with Jose Sa with two men to his right, but he chose to shoot rather than pass, and the Wolves goalkeeper stopped it.
In the last minutes of the half, Wolves had a chance to break the tie when Hwang Hee-chan broke through, but he blasted over from an angle.
The hosts came close to grabbing the lead in the second half when Chelsea’s Lesley Ugochukwu diverted Joao Gomes’ attempt against the outside of the post.
However, they broke the stalemate in the 51st minute when Lemina did not even have to get off the ground to head in a Pablo Sarabia corner.
Nkunku, the substitute, came agonizingly close to equalizing when his shot was hacked off the line.
Instead, in stoppage time, the Wolves extended their advantage.
Substitute Hugo Bueno crossed, and Chelsea could only clear the ball as far as Doherty, who scored neatly from close range.
France international Nkunku equalized in the 96th minute, but Gary O’Neil’s team held on to secure the three points.