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IF 2011 was an annus horribilis for Chelsea, 2012 is already shaping up to be a whole lot better. Whatever could go wrong for the Blues last year, did. Carlo Ancelotti was sacked after failing to win a trophy, Fernando Torres proved a �50million flop and the team ended the year outside the Premier League's top four Saturday's 3-1 home defeat by Aston Villa prompted the bookies to slash their odds on new boss Andre Villas-Boas getting the sack. No wonder the mood in the camp was far from positive as the team bus chugged its way into Molineux yesterday. And it was not exactly lifted by the news that Didier Drogba, Daniel Sturridge, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou had all joined Branislav Ivanovic, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien on the Stamford Bridge injured list. Yet if Villas-Boas' starting line-up almost picked itself, the manager was rewarded with as spirited a performance as his team has managed for a long time. Frank Lampard's dramatic late strike finally stopped the rot after a run of four games without a win and gave Villas-Boas some much-needed breathing space. Now AVB is even mumbling about Chelsea being back in with a shout of challenging for the title. Make up your mind, pal. At least he was smart enough to acknowledge that it will take plenty more results like this on a consistent basis before anyone at Chelsea can honestly claim they have turned the corner. But at least Villas-Boas can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel after getting the backing of at least some of his stars yesterday. For the first 20 minutes, Chelsea stroked the ball around as though they didn't have a care in the world while Wolves could hardly get out of their own half. Juan Mata should have fired the visitors into an early lead when Torres took advantage of a defensive mix-up between Roger Johnson and Christophe Berra to play in his fellow Spaniard. But Mata's attempt to lift the ball over the advancing Wayne Hennessey lacked both power and conviction and was easily cleared by the covering Stephen Ward. Lampard was then denied by a last-ditch tackle from Richard Stearman before Mata teed up Ramires for an angled shot which flew the wrong side of the post. Yet, just when it was looking as though Chelsea were heading for a rare trouble-free afternoon, they were dragged into a scrap by Lampard's 24th-minute foul on Adam Hammill. There was no doubt that the challenge was late nor that Lampard caught Hammill with his studs as he threw himself at the ball from distance. Yet the yellow card from referee Peter Walton was probably the correct decision despite calls from the Molineux crowd for a straight red. But with Nenad Milijas currently serving a three-match ban for a far less fearsome challenge at Arsenal last week, it was hardly surprising that Wolves felt so aggrieved by Walton's decision. What followed in the next 10 minutes was little short of anarchy as tackles flew in from both teams and the fans massed in the Jack Harris Stand bayed for blood. Hammill, Roger Johnson, Kevin Doyle and Oriol Romeu all followed Lampard into Walton's notebook and they should have been joined by Ashley Cole for a wild kick from behind at Doyle. With the flow of the game constantly disrupted by Walton's whistle, Wolves took full advantage to test Chelsea's dodgy defence with a series of high free-kicks into the danger zone. Johnson headed against a post and Ward missed the target with another unchallenged header as Chelsea suddenly looked vulnerable. Yet Mick McCarthy's strugglers could not capitalise on Chelsea's uncertainty and they paid the price when Ramires lashed the visitors into a 54th-minute lead. John Terry's faint flick on Mata's corner dropped invitingly in the six yard-box for Ramires to turn Ward and thrash a rising shot high into Hennessey's net. The Brazilian wideman turned on his heels and led the charge to the manager's technical area, where a slightly sheepish Villas-Boas was swamped by seven members of his celebrating team. It might have been a choreographed display of unity but there was no doubting the sincerity of the show of gratitude from Ramires, Raul Meireles, David Luiz, Jose Bosingwa, Oriol Romeu, Cole and Terry. But nothing is ever straight- forward at Chelsea these days and just when they looked set for a rare clean sheet, they were undone at the back once again. Steven Fletcher showed greater desire than Bosingwa to reach Kevin Jarvis' 84th-minute chip and when the ball broke across Chelsea's six-yard box, Ward was the first to react with an unstoppable left-footer. Villas-Boas looked ready to explode as he sensed another squandered opportunity. Yet Chelsea's response was as swift as it was unexpected. And with just one minute of normal time remaining, they seized the victory they desperately needed. Torres worked the ball out wide to Cole and the full-back's cross was met by a surging run from Lampard, who volleyed emphatically into the net from close range. DREAM TEAM STAR MAN � RAMIRES (Chelsea) WOLVES: Hennessey 6, Stearman 6, Johnson 6, Berra 6, Ward 6, Forde 5 (Jarvis 6), Frimpong 6 (Fletcher 5), Henry 6, Hammill 7, Edwards 5 (Foley 5), Doyle 6. Subs not used: De Vries, Elokobi, Ebanks-Blake, Hunt. Booked: Hammill, Henry, Doyle. CHELSEA: Cech 7, Bosingwa 6, Luiz 7, Terry 7, Cole 7, Ramires 8, Romeu 7, Meireles 7, Lampard 7, Mata 8 (McEachran 5), Torres 7. Subs not used: Turnbull, Lukaku, Ferreira, Hutchinson, Bertrand, Chalobah. Booked: Lampard, Romeu. REF: P Walton 5