Wolves 2-6 Chelsea: Player ratings as Madueke hat-tricks earns Blues crushing win
- Chelsea storm to victory at Molineux thanks to Noni Madueke's hat-trick
- Two sides had gone into half-time level at 2-2
- Blues earn first points under new manager Enzo Maresca
Noni Madueke's first Premier League hat-trick helped Chelsea to an emphatic away victory at Wolves on Sunday afternoon.
A chaotic opening 45 minutes saw the two sides go in level at half-time before the visitors took an authoritative lead thanks to Madueke's treble.
Cole Palmer scored and supplied assists for all three of Madueke's goals as the Blues earned their first league points under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
How the game unfolded
Chelsea bounced back from their opening defeat to Manchester City by beating Servette in a midweek Conference League qualifier and wasted little time going ahead on Sunday through Jackson.
The Senegal striker got off the mark for the season in the second minute, finding vacant space at the back post to nod in after Palmer's corner was flicked on.
Jackson failed to pull the trigger when sent through by Marc Cucurella before the Wanderers ramped up the pressure in search of an equaliser. Larsen strayed offside before teeing up Cunha to slam home before the Brazilian failed to get on the end of the Norwegian's cross moments after Palmer had a shot cleared off the line.
Wolves soon got the equaliser their efforts deserved. A determined run from Rayan Ait-Nouri saw the Algeria international beat two defenders before slipping a pass through to Cunha, who slotted in to level the scores.
The former Atletico Madrid forward was in the thick of the action, seeing a deflected strike hit the crossbar before Palmer made it 2-1 with a brilliantly taken finish.
A quick Blues counter-attack saw Jackson flick the ball past Yerson Mosquera to Palmer, who perfectly clipped a half-volley over Jose Sa and wheeled away in his own unique and cold fashion. However, Maresca's side could not see out the lead until half-time as Larsen netted his first Wolves goal.
The visiting side's defending from a free-kick was average as Toti Gomes headed it back across goal for Larsen to convert.
Pedro Neto received a warm reception from the Molineux crowd as he entered the fray at the start of the second half, with Chelsea going ahead for the third time in the match a few minutes later.
Wolves' defending was flimsy as Palmer charged forward and eventually fed Madueke, whose deflected shot flew past Sa into the far corner.
While Chelsea's approach in the transfer market has attracted intense criticism, they have undoubtedly secured some talented attackers and it was Madueke whose talents were on full display with a second goal.
He was supplied by Palmer in a similar fashion to his first effort before rolling his shot under Sa to give the west Londoners breathing space.
Wolves were defensively porous, looking likely to concede with every Chelsea attack, and things got even worse for the hosts when Palmer and Madueke combined for the third time as the latter grabbed his first Premier League hat-trick.
The goal was remarkably similar to his previous two efforts, collecting Palmer's pass to finish confidently after Enzo Fernandez had pressed well to win possession.
Mario Lemina looked to have thrashed in a consolation but saw it disallowed due to Toti straying offside. Instead, Neto grabbed his first goal contribution as a Blues player by racing down the left and squaring for the returning Joao Felix, who netted on his second debut for the club with a booming finish.
Wolves player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Jose Sa - 3/10 - Unlucky with one strike deflecting past him but not the Portugal international's sharpest afternoon.
RB: Matt Doherty - 4/10 - Supplied Cunha with one decent opportunity but often left chasms of space for Chelsea's attackers to exploit.
CB: Yerson Mosquera - 3/10 - Showed plenty of aggression but little composure in the face of some menacing attacks
CB: Toti Gomes - 3/10 - A clumsy attempted clearance almost gifted the visitors a goal and he was positionally inept throughout the encounter.
LB: Rayan Ait-Nouri - 4/10 - Great run to set up Cunha but was often chasing Madueke's shadow before being hooked.
CM: Joao Gomez - 4/10 - Couldn't assert any real calm in midfield, though did come out on top in a number of tackles.
CM: Mario Lemina - 4/10 - Some twinkling running almost worked to Wolves' advantage but couldn't give his defence much protection. Had a deflected strike ruled out for offside.
RW: Hwang Hee-chan - 5/10 - Couldn't offer much in attack, with Wolves' best work coming from other outlets.
AM: Matheus Cunha - 7/10 - Looked really up for the battle and finished well to equalise in the first half, but Wolves completely lost their foothold in the game later on and he was subbed.
LW: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde - 4/10 - Had few opportunities to get involved, completing just three of five passes.
ST: Jorgen Strand Larsen - 7/10 - Made some threatening runs behind Chelsea's defence and deserved the goal that goal Wolves level again.
Substitutes
SUB: Daniel Podence (59' for Hwang) - 5/10
SUB: Craig Dawson (67' for Ait-Nouri) - 5/10
SUB: Pablo Sarabia (68' for Cunha) - 5/10
SUB: Rodrigo Gomes (68' for Bellegarde) - 5/10
SUB: Tommy Doyle (90' for Lemina) - N/A
Subs not used: Dan Bentley (GK) Santiago Bueno, Boubacar Traore, Goncalo Guedes.
Manager
Gary O'Neil - 2/10 - Saw Wolves completely capitulate during the second half and could do little to stem the tide against his side.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sanchez - 7/10 - Got a few attacks moving quickly, particularly helping Palmer score his side's second.
RB: Malo Gusto - 6/10 - Given a little bit of a runaround by Ait-Nouri early on but had few issues keeping Bellegarde quiet.
CB: Wesley Fofana - 6/10 - At fault alongside Colwill during some poor moments defending set pieces, but Wolves' challenge waned as Chelsea's attackers did the business.
CB: Levi Colwill - 6/10 - Couldn't win much in the air with Larsen proving a handful up front.
LB: Marc Cucurella - 6/10 - Gave a typically enthusiastic showing at left-back, often finding the target with his long passes.
CM: Moises Caicedo - 7/10 - Bravely won a header that quickly led to Madueke's second goal. A little at sea in the first 45 minutes but much better before his substitution.
CM: Enzo Fernandez - 7/10 - Good pressing helped Palmer set up Madueke again. Showed dogged determination as Chelsea overwhelmed their hosts at the start of the second half.
RW: Noni Madueke - 10/10 - Had upset the locals with some social media tomfoolery pre-game but quietened the boo boys with three identical goals, all fed by Palmer.
AM: Cole Palmer - 9/10 - Left defenders stranded at times with his quick acceleration and delivered a typically nonchalant finish before setting up Madueke for three goals. A truly supreme and precise display in the final third.
LW: Mykhailo Mudryk - 4/10 - Didn't get much joy down the left and was hauled off at half-time.
ST: Nicolas Jackson - 7/10 - Got the action underway with a smartly-taken header and showed good desire to nod into Palmer's path for an assist.
Substitutes
SUB: Pedro Neto (46' for Mudryk) - 7/10 - Warmly embraced by his old club but showed no mercy by supplying Felix with an assist.
SUB: Joao Felix (68' for Jackson) - 7/10 - Got in on the fun by converting Neto's low ball for Chelsea's sixth.
SUB: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (76' for Caicedo) - 6/10
SUB: Renato Veiga (83' for Cucurella) - N/A
SUB: Christopher Nkunku (83' for Palmer) - N/A
Subs not used: Filip Jorgensen (GK), Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Guiu.
Manager
Enzo Maresca - 7/10 - Chelsea were open and in a real fight at half-time but their second-half efficiency was remarkable, deservedly earning Maresca his first points as Chelsea manager.
