Chelsea made it another step forward under Liam Rosenior today with a 3–1 win at Molineux, powered by a devastating first-half hat-trick from Cole Palmer that turned a lively contest into a one-sided afternoon long before the final whistle. Wolves actually started the brighter side, slinging early crosses into the box and asking questions of Chelsea’s back line, but two needless penalties inside the opening 35 minutes handed Palmer the perfect platform to take control. By the time he completed his treble before the interval—finishing off a flowing team move—Wolves were left chasing a game they had largely gifted away.
The opening 10 minutes suggested Wolves might make it uncomfortable. They pressed with purpose, got runners into wide areas and forced Chelsea to defend their box repeatedly. That early confidence drained quickly when Matt Doherty made an avoidable mistake in the area, nudging João Pedro when the danger looked manageable. Palmer stepped up and rolled the penalty home with his usual calm, sending José Sá the wrong way and instantly flipping the mood of the match. Chelsea, who had been slightly second-best up to that point, suddenly played with swagger—passing crisper, pressing higher, and moving Wolves around with far more ease.
The second penalty arrived in similarly frustrating fashion for the home side. Wolves were already wobbling when Yerson Mosquera shoved João Pedro near the edge of the box, a clumsy moment that left the referee with a straightforward decision once it was confirmed the contact was inside the area. Palmer again made no mistake, this time changing his placement and doubling Chelsea’s lead. Wolves’ heads visibly dropped, while Chelsea began to find space almost at will between the lines, with Pedro Neto—back at Molineux—repeatedly causing trouble down the flank.
Palmer’s third, on 38 minutes, was the pick of the lot and the goal Rosenior will point to as the blueprint for how he wants Chelsea to play. The move began deep, travelled quickly through midfield, and ended with Marc Cucurella arriving in a dangerous position to pull a cutback into the middle. Palmer met it first time from just inside the area and rifled it into the roof of the net. In the space of 25 minutes, Chelsea had gone from managing an awkward start to holding a three-goal cushion, and Palmer had reached a rare landmark by becoming the first player to record three Premier League first-half hat-tricks.
Wolves tried to salvage pride after the break and, to their credit, showed more bite than the scoreline suggested. Mateus Mané—one of the few bright points in a difficult season—clipped the inside of the post with the outside of his boot, and the rebound was barely cleared. The home side then scored almost immediately afterwards from a set piece, with debutant Adam Armstrong’s clever header at a corner creating the opening for Tolu Arokodare to spin and finish from close range. At 3–1 with plenty of time left, Molineux briefly sensed a chance to make it messy.
But Chelsea never really let it turn into a true storm. They slowed the game, kept the ball for long stretches, and managed the rhythm rather than forcing it. Rosenior withdrew Palmer just after the hour, a clear sign Chelsea were thinking about game management rather than spectacle, and while Wolves huffed and puffed, they couldn’t land the next punch that would have made the final half-hour genuinely nervous. The numbers reflected the pattern: Chelsea dominated possession (roughly two-thirds of the ball), created the higher quality chances overall, and finished the match with the stronger expected-goals profile, even if their intensity dipped once the job was essentially done.
After the match, Rosenior was upbeat about both the result and the style, saying the third goal in particular captured the football he wants from Chelsea—brave build-up, quick combinations, and arrivals into the box at the right time. He also spoke warmly about Palmer’s level, describing him as almost impossible to stop when he finds that rhythm, while stressing that the team’s best moments came from collective movement as much as individual brilliance.
Rob Edwards, meanwhile, cut a frustrated figure and focused on the self-inflicted nature of the defeat. He felt Wolves started well and created the kind of early platform they needed, but admitted the penalties were “ludicrous” errors against elite opposition and made the afternoon a mountain to climb. Edwards did at least take some encouragement from the response after half-time, praising his players for showing fight and refusing to collapse completely, even if the damage was already irreversible.
For Chelsea, it’s another win that reinforces the sense of momentum building—clinical when the chances arrived, composed when Wolves tried to rally, and led by a match-winner in devastating form. For Wolves, it’s another painful reminder that good spells count for little when you hand opponents goals, especially against a side with the calm and quality Chelsea showed in that ruthless first-half spell.
