Chelsea vs. Wolves score: Thomas Tuchel's side draw a blank in new manager's debut one Blues sideline

Chelsea's new manager was held to a draw in his time helming the London club

Thomas Tuchel's first match in charge of Chelsea did not bring the first goal of his tenure as Wolverhampton Wanderers held firm to earn a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

Ahead of his first match Tuchel had vowed to play "brave football" with an emphasis on attacking and his side certainly would not allow Wolves much of the ball as they set up camp in the visiting half throughout the first 45 minutes, albeit without forcing goalkeeper Rui Patricio into a single save. They were not aided by an opposition who resolutely refused to do much other than settle for a point.

Not until the hour mark were Chelsea truly able to wear down their opponents, a fine cutback by Kai Havertz teeing up Ben Chilwell to blaze over before Olivier Giroud couldn't get enough purchase on a Hakim Ziyech cross.

For all that the best chance of the match arguably fell Wolves' way as Pedro Neto pounced on a miscued Edouard Mendy clearance, combining with Daniel Podence and lobbing the ball against the crossbar.

A flurry of late pressure from substitutes Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount briefly had Wolves reeling but in truth Chelsea did not do anywhere near enough to break down a defense-first opponent as Tuchel's tenure began in frustrating fashion.

Chelsea fall in love with possession

It has been widely remarked since his appointment that Tuchel sides love to keep the ball but perhaps even he might not have expected his new charges to fetishize possession quite as they did in the first half at Stamford Bridge. So loath were Chelsea to part with the ball that it often seemed they wouldn't even let the goal have it.

By half-time they had completed 433 passes, their most since Opta records began, to Wolves' 90. The visitors had managed just 10 passes in Chelsea's attacking third. Havertz, Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell all bettered that, even Giroud matched it.

Chelsea had evidently embraced a fundamental principle of Tuchel's vision for them but are naturally some way short of learning the attacking patterns that make all the possession worth a jot. This was possession without penetration in the first half, when they turned ball dominance without precedence in their recent history to five shots with a combined expected goal value of 0.24.

Indeed when they did click they did so with a reprise of old-school Chelsea tactics, one wing-back providing for the other when Callum Hudson-Odoi crossed for Ben Chilwell at the back post in true-Antonio Conte fashion (though of course neither player was a regular in the Italian's tenure).

There were encouraging flashes that did not lead to shots. Kai Havertz seemed to settle swiftly into an inside left role, a dart from midfield midway through the first half that saw him beat two defenders would have been an encouraging sight for a manager whose tenure could be defined by the performances of his record signing.

How much this will tell us about Tuchel's Chelsea going forward is at best debatable. He has had one training session with his new side and admitted that his selection was "the most unfair" of his career with all his new charges having been desperate to impress. Wolves had surely planned to sit deep and settle for a point and it is fair to question whether this might even be the default formation considering how his 3-4-3 matched up with his opponents.

At best this was Chelsea proving they can put the most basic of Tuchel principles – keep the ball – into action. It will take time for them to progress towards a more complete style of play.

Wolves nearly get lucky

You certainly couldn't accuse Wolves of coming to Stamford Bridge with ideas above their station. Without a league win since they beat Chelsea at Molineux on December 15 and with their new striker on the bench there was a willingness from Nuno Espirito Santo's side to sit back, try to survive and see what might present itself to them in the closing period.

Arguably the timing of this fixture suited Wolves rather well, Chelsea attempting something new and with a much-changed side. The visitors did not need to press, to overcommit. They were more than happy to simply hold on until late on and see if they could nick it.

A team with Podence, Neto and Adama Traore are capable of more surely but this strategy was perhaps the right one for the moment. Only around the hour and in the dying minutes did they really come under pressure whilst Chelsea made the one mistake Wolves would have assumed they would, Mendy's clumsy clearance that saw Neto clip the bar.

Tuchel's charm offensive

The former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain manager is perhaps aware that he will be fighting an uphill battle with certain sections of the media as well as a sizeable proportion of the Chelsea fanbase. Such is the reality of taking over from a club legend who has such widespread sympathy that he elicited comparisons with Bambi on his sacking.

On his first appearance in front of the cameras Tuchel was charm personified, relishing in a "surreal" 72 hours past and making promises to get his team playing in the right way. "I hope we will attack and we will play brave football," he told BT Sport. "We play for scoring and creating chances. At the same time when I think about Chelsea football it's an intense game, teams with mentality, winning mentality, who can defend hard.... We want to create this."

It was an encouraging message even if it was one his players weren't able to put into action on day one. Ahead of his formal unveiling on Thursday Tuchel is already making a good impression away from the pitch, something which could be crucial as he tries to win over a sceptical audience.

Notable performances

Kai Havertz: After a challenging few months for Chelsea's record signing there were flashes of improvement, from a barnstorming run to a smart pass for Chilwell. There was not going to be a big bang moment for a player whose confidence seems to have cratered of late but this was a step in the right direction. RATING: 6

Willy Boly: One could say much the same of any of the Wolves' defenders but Boly excelled in his defensive work, clearing the ball whenever it came his way and never once even suggesting he might make an error. RATING: 8

Premier League outlook

Just one point was enough to take Chelsea above Aston Villa and Arsenal and into eighth whilst Wolves leapfrogged Crystal Palace in 13th with a 10 point gap to the drop zone.

Chelsea 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

[Jan 27, 2021 at 2:46 pm ET · James Benge]

Who had Pulisic at right wing-back on their Tuchel debut bingo? He has had made a good start in his new role, injecting a bit of pace into a slow-moving Chelsea attack. He darts down to the byline, drawing Semedo out of position and from there the ball comes back to Kovacic who drives just wide from close range.

Moments later Pulisic is driving to the byline again, putting a dangerous cross into the box that ultimately leads to a Chelsea corner.

[Jan 27, 2021 at 2:34 pm ET · James Benge]

Wolves have carried no attacking threat whatsoever in this game, might the introduction of Willian Jose change that? He's being readied on the sidelines and is the natural centre-forward they have needed since Raul Jimenez's injury.

I say that and then Mendy messes up a clearance, handing the ball to Pedro Neto. A give and go with Podence and he tries to lob the ball over the Chelsea goalkeeper. For a moment it looks like it will dip under the bar but lands on the top of it. A reprieve for the hosts.

[Jan 27, 2021 at 2:25 pm ET · James Benge]

Another encouraging moment from Havertz, who gets in behind the Wolves defence and down to the byline. His touchback to Chilwell is judged to perfection, setting it up perfectly for the left-back to have a first-time shot in space. That's where he sends it unfortunately, a woefully mishit effort that flies well over the bar.

[Jan 27, 2021 at 2:09 pm ET · James Benge]

As we return to the second half Tuchel summons Azpilicueta over to impart instructions on his captain. It has been a consistent theme of the first 45 minutes of the German's tenure that he has been constantly summoning his players over to impart instructions. Immediately they zip forward with a bit more purpose, Hudson-Odoi getting in behind and cutting back towards Havertz, who is convinced he is brought down by Semedo.