And as Todd Boehly looked on from one of the empty executive boxes he must have been wondering if it is too late to renegotiate his takeover deal.
Romelu Lukaku netted twice as Chelsea blew a two-goal lead against WolvesCredit: AFPTodd Boehly was left devastated after Wolves netted a late equaliserCredit: ReutersThe American was in the building at Stamford Bridge to see in the new eraCredit: Getty
The LA Dodgers part owner had just been told that his consortium had won the battle to buy Chelsea from sanctioned Roman Abramovich.
But Conor Coady’s 97th minute equaliser left the American billionaire scratching his head in bewilderment as his new team threw away a two-goal lead right at the death.
At least Boekly can say that he has seen Romelu Lukaku score a Premier League goal after the £97million Belgian struck twice in the space of two minutes to end his four-month drought.
Yet it was hardly champagne stuff from Thomas Tuchel’s players just a week before they take on Liverpool in the FA Cup final.
Chelsea AGREE £4.25bn sale terms with LA Dodgers’ boss Todd Boehly
And the way they capitulated deep into stoppage time raises serious questions about the character of a team who have been all over the place ever since Abramovich was first ordered to sell up.
Boehly is in town to cross the is and dot the ts as he awaits the green light from the Government and the Premier League to become the club’s new owner.
And he must be wondering how a team who were crowned World Club champions less than three months ago could suddenly be so damned ordinary.
And why he is paying quite so much money to buy them.
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It didn’t help that there were thousands of empty seats again as a consequence of the ban on Chelsea selling tickets until they are out of Abramovich’s hands.
But that didn’t stop the home supporters from once again chanting the name of the exiled Russian oligarch before demanding a wave from Boehly.
After three defeats in their previous six League games, Tuchel struggled to contain his frustration as he stood on the touchline demanding more effort from his lacklustre players.
And no-one was causing him more grief than Lukaku, restored to the starting line-up but not exactly busting a gut to justify his recall.
He should have broken the deadlock minute when Marcos Alonso’s 38th minute corner fell to him a yard out from goal via deflections off Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.
But the ball bounced off his knee with the goal at his mercy and though Ruben Loftus-Cheek stabbed the rebound over the line he was eventually ruled offside.
Up in the posh seats Boehly looked completely bewildered as his companions tried to explain the intricacies of VAR.
Lukaku did his best to make amends when he turned Conor Coady for a low shot which demanded a full stretch save from Jose Sa.
But it was Wolves who looked the more dangerous on the counter-attack, with Ruben Saiss missing two glorious chances before Leander Dendoncker blasted over when it seemed easier to score.
And they were made to pay the price for that lack of a cutting edge when Lukaku and Saiss tangled right on the edge of the area.
Referee Peter Bankes initially waved away Chelsea’s appeals but eventually changed his mind after being advised by VAR Jared Gillett to take another look at the incident on the pitchside TV monitor.
Lukaku stroked his first goal home from the spotCredit: EPA
It certainly didn’t look like the clear and obvious error which is supposed to be required to overturn these kind of decisions.
Yet Bankes nevertheless pointed to the spot and Lukaku stepped forward to send Sa the wrong way with his 56th minute effort.
That was his first League goal since the 1-1 draw with Brighton on December 29, but two minutes later he was celebrating again.
Coady’s terrible pass bounced off the startled Ruben Neves and when Christian Pulisic threaded the ball through tio Lukaku, he barely broke stride before lashing one into the top corner.
That should have been more than enough to see off a Wolves team who have been averaging less than a goal a game all season.
And with manager Bruno Lage back at home suffering with Covid, it would have been easy for them to simply accept their fate and slink back to the Black Country with their tails between their legs.
But when substitute Franciso Trincao pounced on Mateo Kovacic’s 79th minute error to reduce the arrears within three minutes of coming on, the visitors suddenly sensed that all was not lost.
Trincao was in on goal again five minutes later and was only denied an equaliser by a last-ditch intervention from Thiago Silva.
But Wolves simply refused to accept their feet and when sub Chiquinho delivered one into the mixer, captain Coady simply wanted it more than Reece James as he powered in to head home.
Hope you’ve kept the receipt Todd.
Francisco Trincao pulled one back for WolvesCredit: PAConor Coady scored a last-gasp equaliser to deny Chelsea victoryCredit: Reuters
