Cole Palmer celebrating his opener during Chelsea’s clash against Wolves (Image: Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
Cole Palmer inspired Chelsea to a commanding win over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday afternoon. The Blues swept aside Rob Edwards’ team in the opening 45 minutes as they bounced back from Tuesday evening’s Carabao Cup loss to Arsenal. Palmer gave Chelsea the lead within the first quarter of an hour from the spot following a clumsy challenge on Joao Pedro by Matt Doherty.
Malo Gusto nearly extended the visitors’ advantage moments later, but Jose Sa managed to parry the defender’s near-post strike away for a corner. Then the floodgates burst open as Palmer scored his second penalty of the match on 30 minutes before sealing his hat-trick shortly afterwards. Wolves emerged with renewed vigour after the interval, with Tolu Arokodare reducing the deficit following a goalmouth scramble.
Here are your Chelsea player ratings from today’s victory…
Chelsea player ratings vs Wolves
Robert Sanchez – 6
Sanchez had little to occupy him during the opening period. He must have been frozen. The Spanish keeper could have done little to prevent Wolves’ goal.
Cucurella delivered the assist for Palmer’s hat-trick goal, cutting the ball back from the touchline with an excellent delivery.
Fofana made a solid start to the match, clearing the Blues’ lines in the opening minutes of what was a tense encounter. He also made an excellent recovery challenge on Arokodare in the second half, preventing him from making a clean strike.
Chalobah successfully kept Tolu Arokodare at bay during the first half and made a vital challenge on Matheus Mane before half-time, swiftly moving across the backline to cover for Fofana.
However, he didn’t start the second half well, losing his marker whose flick-on from a corner found its way to Arokodare. Despite this, Chalobah recovered well and remained resilient for the rest of the match.
Gusto nearly doubled Chelsea’s lead around the 30-minute mark, but his attempt at the near post was thwarted by Sa.
Santos was reliable with the ball and seemed comfortable in the Chelsea midfield. He seemed to sustain a minor injury in the second half.
Caicedo executed a few good tackles near the opposition’s box, preventing Wolves from launching any counter-attacks. He made an impressive slide tackle around the 60-minute mark to halt a Wolves attack.
Palmer scored all of Chelsea’s goals before the halfway point (Image: Getty)
Like Santos and Caicedo, Fernandez had a strong first half, effectively recycling possession in the opposition half. He received an unnecessary yellow card after the break, but overall, he performed well.
Neto made several promising runs, but found it difficult to get the better of Hugo Bueno during the opening 45 minutes. His influence remained limited after the interval, squandering a golden opportunity with a header from close range.
Following a subdued opening quarter of an hour, Palmer opened the scoring from the penalty spot. The Chelsea talisman extended his side’s advantage with another spot-kick – his 50th goal for the club – before sealing his first half hat-trick moments later.
Continuing his impressive form from Tuesday evening, Pedro showed excellent hold-up play. The Blues forward was outstanding in the channels, earning both penalties in the first half.
The spot-kick decisions drew criticism from the home crowd, although both fouls were confirmed by VAR.
Substitutes
Alejandro Garnacho – 5
Chelsea were under considerable pressure when Garnacho came on for Palmer, meaning the Blues winger had to work hard defensively before getting any significant touches on the ball. That said, he found it challenging.
Acheampong made an encouraging run shortly after his introduction, driving Chelsea forward to ease some pressure. Moments later, he executed an excellent sliding tackle on the far side, directly in front of the away supporters.
Delap had limited involvement. He showed decent hold-up play on a few occasions, but his teammates were unable to fashion many, if any, opportunities for him.
Hato was brought on to replace Santos in midfield. He covered the pitch effectively, but generally had little to do.