At last, victory for Chelsea, and one inspired by their own as Trevoh Chalobah put in a performance so authoritative that it left a few folks wondering why they ever allowed their Cobham graduate to leave in the first place.
Recalled from his season-long loan with Crystal Palace, Chalobah answered the SOS with aplomb, his homecoming lifting the doom and gloom which had been seeping into Stamford Bridge amid five games without a Premier League win.
He tackled, he blocked, he passed with purpose and he would have scored their third goal had Noni Madueke not cheekily prodded it over the line as it was bouncing in. That daylight meant not even Chelsea could contrive to throw away this lead.
Enzo Maresca feared that was happening when Robert Sanchez spilled the ball to gift a mediocre Wolves team their equaliser. There is nothing like the constructive criticism of football fans and the advice from a voice beside the Chelsea bench went: ‘Enzo, get a new goalkeeper, he’s s***.’
It is not only a small minority of supporters wondering why Chelsea are so reluctant to replace him, given the 27-year-old Spaniard can resemble an accident waiting to happen. Some are even beginning to ask if Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, whose agent was apparently in attendance here, is any good in goal. Hell, the rapper Central Cee was walking around Stamford Bridge wearing a goalkeeper’s shirt and he might have caught the cross which Sanchez fumbled.
Nevertheless, Chelsea returned to winning ways, with Stamford Bridge singing Chalobah’s name throughout the second half in recognition of his contribution. We do not know what will happen with the 25-year-old at the end of this season, such is life in a world where homegrown players represent pure profit. But for now, he can claim he owned this evening.
Chelsea climbed to fourth in the league table with a 3-1 victory over Wolves at Stamford Bridge
Trevoh Chalobah shone for the Blues following his recall on loan from Crystal Palace this week
Noni Madueke scored Chelsea’s third goal, having netted a hat-trick at Molineux in August
Wolves have been the Premier League’s downright worst at defending set-pieces, conceding more than anyone else at England’s elite level, and their warm-up was not your usual one as they practised clearing corners.
They did not have to wait long for the first test proper as Chelsea won one within 25 seconds. Reece James’ out-swinger was headed on by Chalobah to Nicolas Jackson at the back post.
It was reminiscent of how Jackson opening the scoring inside two minutes in the reverse fixture at Molineux – a 6-2 win for Chelsea in which Madueke netted a hat-trick – but Jose Sa was able to deny the striker’s bicycle kick this time.
Wolves arrived here in search of a first clean sheet in the capital since a 2-0 win over Tottenham in February 2022. Bruno Lage was their manager at that time, then came Julen Lopetegui, and then Gary O’Neil, and it was Vitor Pereira’s turn to try to plug their London leakage here.
Yet in the 24th minute, Chelsea found the breakthrough with a little help, first from Wolves and then VAR. It started with Matt Doherty trying – and failing – to send a header back into the arms of his goalkeeper. The ball looped over Sa, but made its way out for a corner.
James’ crack from the back of the box fell kindly to Tosin Adarabioyo, who scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea. Up went the assistant’s flag, though replays showed Adarabioyo was onside as VAR Matthew Donohue allowed it to stand. Yet another goal conceded from a set-piece for Wolves.
After 36 minutes, Andre landed on Moises Caicedo, leaving him writhing in pain on the pitch. Chelsea were worried, not least because their substitutes’ bench contained zero midfielders, but Caicedo managed to continue. When Andre then caught Cole Palmer’s ankle to leave the Englishman hobbling, again sparking alarm, he was cautioned.
Amid six minutes of stoppage time, Wolves won a corner. In came the cross and it was Sanchez’s ball to catch, all day long, bread and butter for any goalkeeper. He spilled it under pressure from Santiago Bueno, as Doherty accepted the tap-in to make it 1-1.
Madueke scored just five minutes after Marc Cucurella restored Chelsea’s lead
The victory was a seismic one for Enzo Maresca, whose side were on a dismal run of form
Robert Sanchez’s blushes were spared after the goalkeeper’s error led to Wolves’ equaliser
Only Ipswich’s Arijanet Muric has made more errors leading to Premier League goals than Sanchez this season. Chelsea’s fans took to cheering ironically whenever their goalkeeper caught the ball from then on. How relieved he was, therefore, when he watched as Marc Cucurella controlled the cross and scrambled the ball into the Wolves’ goal for 2-1 after 60 minutes.
It got better in the 65th minute when, from a free-kick, Palmer crossed, Chalobah headed, and Madueke tapped in for 3-1 as Wolves lamented yet another set-piece mishap.
Cruel on Chalobah that he had his comeback goal taken from him? Football is not always fair, and you would struggle to find an attacker who would not do what Madueke did. He had not scored in more than a month, and the gaping goal was too inviting to turn down.
Chelsea’s supporters recognised Chalobah’s performance nonetheless, chanting the name of their academy product who returned from Selhurst Park to make sure they got back to winning at Stamford Bridge. After throwing away too many leads over the last month – to Fulham, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace – this was a significant test of character for Chelsea’s starlets. Now with a two-goal lead, Stamford Bridge could breathe, even enjoy moving back to fourth.
In the 78th minute, Jackson ran through. One on one with Sa, he scored, but the offside flag denied him the goal as VAR checked and verified it. His time will come. Chelsea’s certainly did here. Chalobah made sure of it.
