Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-6 Chelsea: Blue hit six past Wolves as Madueke and Palmer run riot

Noni Madueke achieved a remarkable second-half hat-trick, leading Chelsea to their inaugural Premier League victory under the management of Enzo Maresca. The team overcame two comebacks from Wolverhampton Wanderers, ultimately winning 6-2 at Molineux Stadium.

Following a 2-0 loss against Manchester City in their opening match, Chelsea wasted no time in making their mark in the Midlands, scoring less than two minutes into the game.

A corner taken by Cole Palmer found Nicolas Jackson at the back post, who successfully headed the ball past Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.

The home side nearly responded perfectly before the 10-minute mark, as Yerson Mosquera's header from six yards narrowly missed the target. However, just before the half-hour mark, Gary O’Neil’s team equalized.

Matheus Cunha, who had previously seen a potential equalizer ruled out for offside, found the net by curling a shot past Robert Sanchez after receiving a pass from Rayan Aït-Nouri.

Chelsea appeared to overlook their earlier mistake, allowing Cunha another opportunity from the edge of the box. Fortunately, a deflection from Levi Colwill sent the ball onto the crossbar and out of danger.

This crucial intervention proved significant, as just three minutes later, Sanchez caught the Wolves defense off guard with a long goal kick directed to Jackson, who then assisted Palmer in lifting the ball over the retreating Sa.

Nevertheless, Chelsea's second lead was short-lived, as in the sixth minute of added time, Aït-Nouri delivered a free-kick aimed at Toti Gomes. Gomes headed the ball across the goal to Jorgen Strand Larsen, who, stretching fully, scored his first goal for Wolves, leveling the match at halftime.

The interruption did not impede the scoring, as Chelsea regained their lead merely three minutes into the second half.

Palmer delivered the ball to Madueke, who, from a narrow angle, directed it across Sa and into the bottom corner, aided by a significant deflection off Aït-Nouri.

Just nine minutes later, the scenario repeated itself, with Palmer and Madueke once again in nearly identical positions, resulting in the same outcome. However, this time Madueke found the net with a clean strike, establishing a two-goal advantage for the visitors for the first time.

Wolves were left reeling, and matters worsened after the hour mark when they surrendered possession in their own half. This allowed Enzo Fernandez and Jackson to link up and locate Palmer, who once more passed to Madueke on his right, and the winger finished expertly, completing an extraordinary hat-trick within just 15 minutes.

Any lingering hopes of a Wolves revival were extinguished in a mere two minutes when a powerful strike from Mario Lemina was disallowed for offside. Chelsea then swiftly countered, with former Wolves player Pedro Neto assisting João Félix, who struck the sixth goal into the top corner.

This victory marks Chelsea's first win at Molineux in five years, while Wolves remain without a point following a disheartening afternoon on their home ground.