Wolves 2-6 Chelsea: The great, the good and the bad
Chelsea got a much-needed victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and by a large margin too. The Blues were coming off a hard-fought win against Servette in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) qualifiers, where they won 2-0.
Chelsea's first league game of the season was poor, losing 2-0 to Manchester City despite a second-half resurgence. This game initially looked like it would go the same way, but smart passing, errors from the opposition, and clinical finishing saw the Blues score four goals in the second-half to win 6-2.
The result was fantastic, and the game was eventful, but a 6-2 scoreline does not reflect how the game went, as cliché as that may sound. Here are some great, good, and not-so-good things the Pride of London wants you to take away from the Wolves thrashing.
The great: Noni Madueke, clinical finishing and use of transitions
Chelsea, especially in the second half, ran Wolves ragged, mainly because of how effective Enzo Mareca's men were in transition, especially offensive transitions. The very short time it took for the away side to get the ball into shooting positions whenever it was turned over, meant that the Wolves backline and goalkeeper were almost always unprepared.
In the second half, Chelsea took double the number of shots as Wolves and created three more big chances than Gary O'Neil's men. Maresca's men seemed to have so much space to work with, and that was because Wolves kept turning the ball over while trying to play out from the back. The Blues punished them time and again.
Noni Madueke was sensational, putting Wolves to the sword every chance he got, and staking his claim as Chelsea's starting right winger. Cole Palmer was also sublime, creating two big chances and providing three assists, all to Madueke. Nicolas Jackson also played very well, leaving the game with a goal and an assist. The Blues were outrageously efficient, netting six from 1.68 expected goals (xG).