In the final Premier League fixture before Christmas, there was very little extra festive joy coming the way of Chelsea fans ahead of the big day.
The Blues were beaten in typical 2023 fashion as they lost 2-1 to Wolves at Molineux, with very few positives coming the way of the visiting side.
Mauricio Pochettino was forced to again see a number of his attackers blow key opportunities, with Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson both wasting golden chances to give the Blues the lead.
They didn’t look as if they were going to find the net at all until substitute Christopher Nkunku headed home from close range to give them a glimpse of hope.
The Frenchman was introduced with half an hour to play as the manager desperately chased a way back into the game yet again.
His introduction instantly saw an element of calmness brought to the side, however it very poorly translated to some of his other teammates on the day.
Nkunku has to start for Chelsea tomorrow
Pochettino has been keen to slowly bring the £52m summer signing back to full fitness, with him not starting a game as of yet.
However, with results now becoming an imperative for the Blues, they simply must include the former RB Leipzig man from the start tomorrow night.
The Blues welcome Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge as they look to get back to winning ways and finally climb up the table.
If he does start, he will not be able to link up with a number of his important teammates who will be suspended for the upcoming fixture.
Both Sterling and Cole Palmer will miss the London derby tomorrow due to picking up five yellow cards this season, with the former’s being an absolute extremely harsh decision for an alleged dive in an attempt to win a penalty.
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