Two losses in four days has stalled Chelsea’s serene progress in the
Two drab draws for
It was an evening to forget for two of the league’s supposed title contenders on Tuesday, with Chelsea’s 2-1 loss at
Chelsea missed the chance to climb into first place, at least for one night, while City squandered an opportunity to move within sight of the top two in the division,
Chelsea’s setback at Molineux followed a 1-0 loss at Everton on Saturday and both defeats have highlighted the importance of playmaker Hakim Ziyech, who missed them through injury.
Chelsea manager
Meanwhile,
Lampard has plenty to ponder.
As does
City had gone ahead through
With 18 goals, City is the lowest scorer of the league’s top nine teams. Guardiola has been playing two defensive midfielders since the off-season departure of long-time playmaker
TIRED CHELSEA
Chelsea has slipped to back-to-back defeats in the league for the first time in more than a year, and Lampard said his players might be feeling some tiredness amid a busy schedule that will only get more hectic around Christmas.
“There could be some fatigue," Lampard said. "I hate to say it after a defeat because it feels like an excuse but even in the first 60 minutes when we were the better team, we didn’t have a zip about us.
“We’ve travelled up to Everton, came back and then travelled to Wolves but everyone is in the same boat. We have a couple of injuries in areas which means I can’t make too many changes so I understand that side of it."
Giroud, at least, is taking his opportunity after leapfrogging
That's now seven goals in his last seven matches in all competitions for the
GUARDIOLA'S FRUSTRATION
A sign of Guardiola’s frustration came when the fourth official raised his board to show how many minutes of stoppage time there would be.
As the number “4” flashed up, Guardiola held out both hands and pleaded with the official for more time, looking stunned at what he was seeing. He even touched the board at one stage.
It was only really in those extra minutes that City looked dangerous, with West Brom goalkeeper
“We are able to control a lot, we are conceding the minimum, nothing,” said Guardiola, whose team had a run of six clean sheets before Tuesday. “We were better in all departments, but we are struggling to score.”
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