Chelsea collapses to 2-2 EPL draw in front of new ownership

LONDON –

The new owners of Chelsea saw Romelu Lukaku score his first English Premier League goals for 2022, before the team fell to 2-2 against Wolverhampton on Saturday. There is still work to complete Champions League qualification.

Lukaku scored twice in two minutes in the second period, a rare feat for the Belgian striker. After being signed as the club’s top summer signing for a record $135 million, Lukaku has had a difficult first season at Chelsea.

Todd Boehly is the part-owner and co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. His consortium has reached buyout terms to purchase Chelsea for 2.5 billion pounds ($3.1 billion). This deal was the most lucrative for any sports team in history. The announcement came hours before kickoff. This gave the ground a feeling of a new age.

Chelsea must finish a season that should have ended with the club back in Champions League. However, that is not certain.

Thomas Tuchel’s third place team lost four points to Arsenal thanks to goals scored by Francisco Trincao (in the 79th) and Conor Coady (in the seventh minute of stoppage from the end of the game).

Tottenham is two places further back in fifth.

Chelsea still has three league games to play, as well as the FA Cup final against Liverpool.

The Premier League must approve this consortium. The British government must also sign off. This license allows Chelsea to continue as a business up to May 31, while it is still one of the frozen assets of Roman Abramovich (the Russian oligarch who was forced by the war in Ukraine to sell the club).

Where once Abramovich was celebrating Chelsea’s achievements, it was now Boehly who stood up to applaud Lukaku.

Although he has scored five goals in league competitions since his last goal, he has had to settle for second place in recent weeks behind Kai Havertz.

Lukaku, with Jorginho hurt, was forced to take penalty duties. After being tripped by Romain Sassis in an apparently innocuous altercation near the byline and just outside the area, Lukaku rolled his ball into the corner of the 55th.

After Conor Coady’s poor pass from the back, Christian Pulisic fed him and his second goal was even more impressive.

Lukaku took his spot just outside the area, and shot a right-footed effort inside the post.

Chelsea dominated the match in the first period, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Timo Werner disallowed Chelsea’s goals.