Matheus Nunes' stunning volley moved Wolves four points clear of the relegation zone as Frank Lampard's reign as Chelsea caretaker manager started in disappointing fashion with a 1-0 defeat
Lampard, who was sacked by the club in January 2021, returned to the Blues dugout where he will remain for the rest of the season, but was unable to solve their attacking problems at Molineux
Nunes lit up what had been a low-quality first half with a sensational strike from inside the box which found the top corner for his first Premier League goal since joining for a club-record deal of £42
2m
Chelsea rarely looked like scoring and have now not found the net in their last three league games as their season continues to fall apart
 They sit 11th, 17 points off the top four with four wins in their last 21 matches
The opening exchanges of a poor first half were dominated by a flurry of corners - 12 within the first 25 minutes - but there was still little goalmouth action
Nunes' superb first-time volley, running onto a loose ball after Kalidou Koulibaly had flicked a cross away with his head came as a deserved opener for Wolves, who had looked more likely to score
Chelsea's deficiencies in front of goal were laid bare, Joao Felix having their only shot on target during the match which was comfortable for Jose Sa - and it was their former striker Diego Costa who went closest, forcing a good save from Kepa Arrizabalaga to keep the visitors in touch
Kai Havertz had a quiet afternoon leading the line and should have connected with Reece James' cross at the near post moments after half-time as he attempted to stab in an equaliser
Chelsea wanted a penalty when Felix's volley struck Nunes in the box before James bent a free-kick way over to add to their frustration
Lampard turned to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the final 20 minutes and the striker directed a header wide under pressure from Nelson Semedo
However, Wolves saw the game out with relative ease to give themselves a cushion to the bottom three and pile the misery on Chelsea, who are now winless in their last four
Three Wolves fans have been arrested for homophobic chanting towards Chelsea supporters at Molineux
A statement from Wolves read: "We strongly condemn the discriminatory chants aimed towards Chelsea supporters at today's game
"In response to the chants, supporters were reminded by a public address system announcement that discriminatory behaviour and chants of this nature are not tolerated at Molineux
 Homophobia, like all other forms of discrimination, has no place in football or society, and anyone engaging in discriminatory behaviour is committing a criminal offence
"As a result, we can confirm that three arrests were made by West Midlands Police relating to homophobia, and the discriminatory chants in question
"Our ethos at Wolves is about being 'One Pack' - an attitude we are passionate about and that extends to our relationships across the football community, regardless of rivalries or what happens on the football pitch
 We thank all supporters and staff who reported incidents and will continue to campaign for inclusivity and tackle discriminatory abuse, whether inside stadiums or online
"The club will offer its full support to the police as they carry out their investigation
"Chelsea said: "Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour totally unacceptable
"It condemns the homophobic chanting by some home fans at Molineux this afternoon
 Chelsea will continue to work closely with Chelsea Pride and the broader football community to eradicate these vile chants from our game
''The Premier League added: ''The homophobic chanting heard at the Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Chelsea fixture today has no place in football or society
 The Premier League condemns all forms of discrimination
 Football is for everyone
'' "In terms of the performance, first half I thought we were slightly off the pace
 You could feel Wolves were aggressive, fighting for their Premier League status and I felt they had a little bit more aggression in their game
 It's something I said to the players at half-time
"Second half we corrected that slightly in the early parts, had some more chances but, at that point, you're 1-0 down
 We've been here a day or two, trying to work the players out and give them information, we're going to keep on doing that to try and improve because we've got big games coming up
" "We have to find the reasons and solutions for that
 The only way I know is to work
 We have to give some credit to players but some players here haven't got a history of scoring goals, maybe fresh to the league or are new players
 You have to give them time and work with them
 At the same time, we're Chelsea and want to score goals and win games so we have to find a solution to that
" "I have to try and use everything, we want to assess the squad quickly and try and find the best players to win games
"To have a good competitive edge in the squad is a good thing
 You don't want players that are just saying, 'It's not for me, I'm not playing', or don't see an opportunity
 They have an opportunity if they train well and play well
 That's the challenge for the players over the weeks to come
" "From right now, of course it is
 It's a different competition, it will be a different type of game and it's up to us to prepare in the right way and anything can happen
 We respect the fact we're playing the current holders so we have to focus on that now and cannot be too despondent
"We'll certainly analyse the game and we have to make improvements because we feel we want to be better and the only way to get better is hard work - and sometimes it doesn't come overnight
""There was no urgency, it was very slow
 For about 15 minutes in the second half they [Chelsea] moved it quickly and were going through Wolves without making chances
 They were getting it out wide and getting crosses in
 A bit more luck here and there and you never know
"The only benefit of the doubt I can think of is they're waiting for Wednesday night [vs Real Madrid]
 If they turn up like that it will be pointless going to the second leg, it could be a cricket score
"Lampard has only had a couple of days to work with them but there's no pattern
 You watch Man City and Arsenal play and you can see what's trying to happen
 With Chelsea there's nothing there
 It's 11 individuals
"No one really moves for anybody, there's no interchanging, no one runs when they know they're not going to get the ball, ever
 At the moment, it is a worrying time
 It's nothing to do with the managers, it's the players who have to stand up for themselves
"A couple of years ago, Chelsea were ripping teams apart and now you're going to Wolves and I'm not even shocked they've been beaten
"Four wins from 21 games can't happen, it's mind-blowing
 It's got to be one of the worst runs in the history of football with that much talent in it
 They're bringing on international players that have got 50 caps, not someone who has never played for their country
" "You need to work hard to win each match, especially against this kind of team
 Fortunately, we scored and had a clean sheet
 In the end, we have three points more
" "It's a good goal but I prefer to highlight the work of the rest of the players in the different phases, their focus in this period and to have the belief to play football
 We deserved to win today, it's not easy
""It's not easy after these types of changes