Chelsea 3-1 Wolves: Blues return to winning ways with convincing win over Wolves
Chelsea has re-entered the Premier League's top four following a 3-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers, who continue to seek their first clean sheet in London since February 2022.
Despite their recent struggles, Chelsea began the match with considerable intensity. Talisman Cole Palmer, cleared to play, narrowly missed the target with a curling effort in the 12th minute before forcing José Sá into a low save from inside the penalty area.
Shortly thereafter, Sá found himself in an embarrassing situation when a long ball from recalled loanee Trevoh Chalobah was inadvertently headed past him by teammate Matt Doherty. Fortunately for Doherty, he managed to recover and concede a corner while keeping an eye on former Wolves player Pedro Neto.
This miscommunication proved detrimental, as after Neto's corner was cleared by Jørgen Strand Larsen, home captain Reece James struck towards goal, and the ball eventually reached Tosin Adarabioyo, who calmly finished from close range.
The goal was ultimately validated despite an initial offside call. Wolves, however, began to find their rhythm and equalized just before halftime when Matheus Cunha's corner was mishandled by Robert Sánchez, allowing Doherty to bundle the ball over the line.
Enzo Maresca likely felt frustrated at halftime, given his team's territorial advantage in the first half. Nevertheless, Chelsea regained the lead just before the hour mark when Noni Madueke's cross was flicked on by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Marc Cucurella, who, despite losing his balance, managed to direct the ball past Sá.
The West London side extended their lead when Rayan Aït-Nouri fouled Nicolas Jackson, leading to a well-placed free-kick from Palmer that was headed across goal by Chalobah, with Madueke finishing the move effectively.
Wolves have now conceded their 19th goal from set-pieces in the league this season. In response, visiting manager Vítor Pereira promptly executed a triple substitution. This occurred shortly before Chelsea believed they had extended their lead to 4-1, only for Jackson to be ruled offside.
Despite this, Chelsea successfully managed to secure the victory, moving ahead of both Newcastle United and Manchester City in the standings.
On a less favorable note, Chelsea has recorded only one clean sheet in their last 12 home league matches. They will be facing Manchester City away next Saturday.
As for Wolves, they find themselves just above the relegation zone on goal difference and will be hosting Arsenal earlier on the same day.
SportsLigue