Frank Lampard suffered defeat in his first match back in charge of Chelsea as Matheus Nunes hit a dream goal to earn Wolves a 1-0 Premier League victory.

There was a touch of Marco van Basten's famous goal against the Soviet Union at Euro 88 about the game-winning strike from Nunes on Saturday at Molineux.

It lit up a drab first half and Chelsea could not find a suitable response, leaving them still one short of the 40-point mark after 30 rounds of games, with Real Madrid next up for them.

While the focus fell on Lampard, this was a huge result for Wolves, easing relegation concerns for Julen Lopetegui's side.

Lampard was without Mason Mount, but the caretaker boss pepped up Chelsea's attacking options by bringing in Conor Gallagher and Raheem Sterling as N'Golo Kante sat out the game.

Heading into this one, these teams had just 52 goals between them from 58 games in this season's Premier League, and the lack of a dangerous focal point to both attacks was initially glaringly obvious.

Battles were being fought largely in midfield and on the flanks, and it took a special goal out of the blue from Nunes to break the deadlock in the 31st minute.

The former Sporting CP midfielder sent a wonderful strike whistling across Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the left corner after the ball bounced into his path near the right edge of the penalty area.

Chelsea's Reece James fired horribly over from a free-kick just before the hour as the visitors, in a white kit, looked for a way back into the game.

Wolves had former Chelsea title winner Diego Costa in their ranks, and he was enjoying making a nuisance of himself, even though the old pace has gone. He departed soon after the hour, and Chelsea were probably glad to see the back of the veteran.

Cunha was providing most of the Wolves threat, with Kepa making a solid stop before being grateful to see a fierce strike clear the bar. Chelsea, meanwhile, plugged away but rarely showed obvious purpose, unable to add to their meagre four away wins in the league this season.

What does it mean? The Lampard bounce didn't happen

It is now 323 minutes without a Premier League goals for the Blues.

Chelsea naturally hoped the return of Lampard would stir their group of under-performing players into match-winning action, particularly given they were facing a favourite opponent.

The west London side came into the fixture having lost only three of their 19 matches against Wolves this century (W12 D4), but here was another defeat, and it felt like the right result too.

Goodness knows what the Lampard effect is intended to be, beyond an emotional response. He flopped at Everton and this second tilt at Chelsea might be a misguided mission.

Perhaps, for a team who desperately lack presence at the heart of their attack, the club's record scorer might be just as well deployed up front as on the touchline.

Capital gains

Under head coach Lopetegui, Wolves are unbeaten in their four Premier League matches against opponents from London (W3 D1), recording wins at home to West Ham, Spurs and now Chelsea. They had not won any of their previous 11 such matches prior to Lopetegui's arrival (D3 L8).

Nunes strike worth the wait

After arriving from Sporting CP with a big reputation in August, Portugal midfielder Nunes had gone without a goal for Wolves until the moment his explosive right-footed shot flashed past Kepa here.

Its match-winning impact means Chelsea have a grim record of W1, D0, L6 when conceding the opening goal away from home in the Premier League this season. They are in the bottom half with Wolves for a reason.

Key Opta Facts

- Since promotion to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have won three of their five home games against Chelsea (D1 L1), keeping consecutive clean sheets for the first time.

- Chelsea have lost seven Premier League away games this season, their highest total since eight in the 2000-01 season.

- Matheus Nunes scored his first ever goal for Wolves, becoming the 11th different Portuguese player to score for the club in the Premier League, at least five more than any other side.

What's next?

Chelsea travel to face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday. Wolves are back in Premier League action next Saturday when they tackle Brentford.