Liam Keen analysis: Unnecessary tactical switch and defensive errors result in Wolves defeat

Even before the game it seemed like a risk, perhaps an unnecessary one, against a Chelsea side that have plenty of talent in the forward areas.

In reality, it was a needless risk. Wolves were competitive and performing well enough in the 5-3-2 formation that had helped Edwards get his first points as head coach.

Even with one eye on next season and Edwards' apparent plans to change to a four in the Championship, he needs results now to maintain some momentum, and it seemed like an unnecessary risk against a good side.

Speaking after the game, Edwards admitted it was a risk and even suggested he may have to abandon back four plans for the time being.

"Yeah, maybe now," he said when asked if he will now be reluctant to start with a back four.

"We discussed it a lot as a group, as a staff this week. We've worked on it and it looked good in training.

"At the start of the game we quite liked it and then we shot ourselves in the foot. Then, I'm not sure it was tactical, but it affected us up here (head).

"I know sometimes people get a bit nervy, or for whatever reason they just don't run quite as hard, which then shifted again once we got to half-time. We were able to fix that.

"We've obviously been able to go to it in-game and it's not really opened us up going to a four. If we wanted to try and attack it or make some changes, it's looked quite good and we've looked good in it. I want to get to that.

"But against that sort of the team, you're always running a little bit of a risk."

To give Edwards some leeway, Wolves did start the game well.

They seemed confident and comfortable as they looked after the ball and created chances. Mateus Mane, in particular, was a threat in the number 10 position.

But ultimately, it was down the flanks where Wolves were caught out, and that links directly to Edwards' system.

Hugo Bueno was doing a good job at winning tackles against Pedro Neto, but leaving him one-against-one with the winger was unwise, while on the other side Matt Doherty was having a torrid time against Marc Cucurella.

Both full-backs were completely isolated and Chelsea began to carve through them.

Two individual errors led to the two penalties, but it was exacerbated by how open Wolves were on the flanks.

The first penalty brought an end to Wolves' good start to the game and they never recovered in the first half. H.Bueno lost a duel to Neto initially, before Yerson Mosquera's terrible clearance kept the ball alive, and then Doherty needlessly clipped at Joao Pedro's heels.

For the second, a brainless moment from Mosquera saw him use both hands to shove Pedro to the floor.

On both occasions, the Chelsea striker was going away from goal. It was amateurish defending and incredibly poor.

Edwards criticised the 'ludicrous mistakes' at the start of his press conference, but refused to focus on individuals.

He said: "I don't want to talk about individual errors And I don't want to isolate people. 

"It's not how I work and how I am. We're human beings and we make mistakes and we've just been punished for a couple today."

Hwang Hee-chan's injury at the end of the first half allowed Ladislav Krejci to come on and Wolves switched back to a five, as Edwards conceded he had got it wrong with his starting XI.

In the second half, Wolves were much more competitive and scored a decent goal.

It started when Mane dug the ball out from under his feet to deliver a looping shot that came back off the post, eventually winning a corner after it rebounded back into play.

The set piece was nodded on at the near post by new signing Adam Armstrong and Tolu Arokodare was on hand to turn from close range and notch his second Premier League goal of the season.

That goal got Wolves back into the contest, to some degree, and they had moments to score a second as Mane took control of the game and linked-up well with half-time substitute Rodrigo Gomes, who was a threat down the right after replacing Doherty, who really struggled.

But Wolves were unable to make it count. They never created a clear-cut chance to score again and Chelsea began to slow the match down and waste time.

The Londoners were not particularly good on the day, aside from a first half spell when they scored a good third goal, but Wolves gifted the game to them.

Edwards got his team selection wrong, but his players also made mistakes that a head coach cannot account for. They are not mutually exclusive and are the story of Wolves' defeat.