Noni Madueke was the standout player as Chelsea secured a commanding 6-2 victory over Wolves, marking Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League win as Chelsea’s manager.
After suffering a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in his Premier League debut last weekend, Maresca saw his team respond in spectacular fashion.
The former Leicester City manager, who took over from Mauricio Pochettino in the off-season, guided Chelsea to their first league victory following a UEFA Conference League play-off win against Servette on Thursday, setting the stage for a goal-filled performance at Molineux.
Chelsea wasted no time, taking the lead just 98 seconds into the match. A Cole Palmer inswinging corner was accidentally flicked on by Matheus Cunha, leaving Nicolas Jackson free to head in from close range at the back post.
Wolves equalized in the 27th minute when Matheus Cunha, who had tormented Chelsea last season with a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, scored again.
The Brazilian took advantage of Moises Caicedo’s mistake, after Caicedo lost possession, allowing Rayan Ait-Nouri to break forward and set up Cunha for a powerful shot past Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea regained their advantage just before halftime when Cole Palmer took advantage of a flick-on from Nicolas Jackson, expertly lobbing Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa to make it 2-1.
However, Wolves leveled the score again just before the break. Chelsea failed to clear Ait-Nouri’s free-kick, allowing Toti to head the ball across goal to Jorgen Strand Larsen, who tapped it in from close range.
In the second half, Chelsea took control of the match. In the 49th minute, Palmer assisted Madueke, whose shot deflected off Ait-Nouri and found the net, putting Chelsea ahead 3-2.
Madueke scored his second goal just nine minutes later, calmly finishing through Sa’s legs after another run from Palmer.
Madueke completed his hat-trick with a similar finish, once again set up by Palmer, effectively silencing the Wolves fans.
Joao Felix, who made his debut after a permanent move from Atletico Madrid, came off the bench to round off the victory in the 80th minute. The Portuguese forward fired a shot into the top corner after being assisted by former Wolves player Pedro Neto.
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