Chelsea sealed fourth place in the Premier League to wrap up qualification for next season’s Champions League with a comfortable victory over Wolves.

Frank Lampard’s side needed a point from the potentially nervy encounter at Stamford Bridge in order to clinch a top-four place – but they claimed all three in style.

Mason Mount’s delightful 25-yard curling free-kick and Olivier Giroud’s effort from close range were just 144 seconds apart just before half-time and they settled the contest.

The defeat means Nuno Espirito Santo’s men finish seventh behind Tottenham on goal difference after Jose Mourinho’s side drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace.

However Wolves’ league position could still be enough to claim a Europa League place for next season, should the Blues beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final next month.

Chelsea ended the season on the same points as Manchester United, who beat Leicester City 2-0, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side finish third on goal difference.

Relive Chelsea v Wolves and all of Sunday’s Premier League games
Chelsea to push on next season?
Despite winning the Europa League last season and finishing third, Chelsea replaced Italian manager Maurizio Sarri with club legend Lampard, who was in his first role in management at Derby.

With champions Liverpool and runners-up Manchester City possessing strong and settled sides, Lampard will have been tasked with emulating his predecessor by securing Champions League football for next season.

He has duly achieved that and there is the real possibility of ending the campaign with further success with the FA Cup final at Wembley still to come.

A number of youth players have featured in the starting line-up this season including striker Tammy Abraham and defender Reece James – but England playmaker Mount has been the pick of the bunch.

He demonstrated his class just when his side needed it in the crucial game against Wolves.

There was little happening in a cagey and uneventful encounter until the sprightly midfielder curled in a glorious free-kick following Pedro Neto’s foul on Marcos Alonso.

If there was still any tension in the Chelsea ranks, it surely will have disappeared just two minutes later when France World Cup winner Giroud took the ball past Rui Patricio and slid in his seventh goal in his last eight starts.

New signing Timo Werner was at the game and with Hakim Ziyech also joining from Ajax as well as the prospect of Germany winger Kai Havertz also arriving, Chelsea will possess a formidable attacking armoury next term.

But despite keeping a clean sheet in this game, the 54 league goals conceded this season is only one short of their worst tally – so a centre-back is also likely to be on Lampard’s agenda, as will a goalkeeper.

The confidence of Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most expensive keeper, will not have improved after being dropped for the game in favour of 38-year-old Willy Caballero, whose only meaningful contribution was to claw out Leander Dendoncker’s dangerous cross.

Wolves’ season continues
Wolves have endured a long and arduous campaign that started one year and one day ago in the Europa League and has seen them travel nearly 30,000 miles during that period.

Nuno’s men are still in the Europa League and face Olympiakos in the last 16 next month, but they will have to go all the way in that competition to seal a Champions League place – or rely on a favour from Chelsea at Wembley to compete on the continent next term.

They will lament back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Sheffield United at the start of the month as the reason they missed out on a top-six place and although they held out until first-half injury time against Chelsea, the home side’s two quick-fire goals took the wind out of them.

Wolves never really looked like getting back into the game in the second period but can be proud of a season in which they collected 59 points, their highest tally in the Premier League.

Man of the match – Mason Mount (Chelsea)

Source: BBC