Noni Madueke starred with a hat-trick as Chelsea thrash Wolves 6-2, giving Enzo Maresca his first Premier League win as Blues manager.
Maresca, who suffered a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City in his Premier League debut last weekend, saw his side bounce back emphatically. After replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the close season, the former Leicester City manager led Chelsea to their first win of the campaign with a UEFA Conference League play-off victory against Servette on Thursday, setting the stage for their goal fest at Molineux.
Chelsea got off to a flying start, taking the lead after just 98 seconds. A Cole Palmer inswinging corner was inadvertently flicked on by Matheus Cunha, leaving Nicolas Jackson unmarked to nod in at the back post from close range.
However, Wolves fans were already irked by Madueke before kick-off after the Chelsea winger posted—and quickly deleted—a critical review of Wolverhampton on Instagram, describing the city in less-than-flattering terms.
Wolves responded in the 27th minute when Matheus Cunha, who tormented Chelsea last season with a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, fired in the equalizer. The Brazilian capitalized on a mistake by Moises Caicedo, who lost possession, allowing Rayan Ait-Nouri to drive forward and tee up Cunha for a fierce strike past Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea regained their lead just before halftime when Cole Palmer capitalized on a Nicolas Jackson flick, lobbing a sublime finish over Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa to make it 2-1.
Wolves, however, pulled level again just before the break. The Blues failed to clear Ait-Nouri’s free-kick, allowing Toti to head the ball across goal for Jorgen Strand Larsen, who poked it home from close range.
The second half saw Chelsea take control. In the 49th minute, Palmer set up Madueke, whose shot deflected off Ait-Nouri and into the net to make it 3-2. Madueke doubled his tally nine minutes later, slotting a composed finish through Sa’s legs after another run from Palmer.
Madueke completed his hat-trick with a similar strike, again assisted by Palmer, to silence the Wolves supporters. Joao Felix, who came off the bench to make his debut following a permanent move from Atletico Madrid, capped the rout in the 80th minute. The Portuguese forward blasted into the top corner after being picked out by former Wolves player Pedro Neto.
