Jacob Steinberg was at Stamford Bridge tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Wolves boss Vítor Pereira talks to Sky. “We faced a strong team … we start not in the way I like … defending too much … a low block … problems to control crosses … we decided to change the wingers … it was a good decision because after we were more compact … our pressure in the front line was not correct … we did some corrections and started to create problems … the second half we start again not in the way I like … after the third goal we start to play again … we had moments with confidence and other moments we lose confidence … this is something we have to change.”
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca speaks to Sky Sports. “The first 40 minutes we were top … the performance was very good … dominated the game … the last five minutes we lost a bit of confidence … afraid … struggled … the second half we started quite well … after the second and third goal the game was in control … Tosin and Trev did fantastic … overall the player performance was good … we are happy … from tomorrow we start to think about Manchester City … you say a fourth mistake [by Robert Sanchez] and how many times does he save us? … more than four … it happens, no problem, Robert is doing well.”
Noni Madueke, who nipped in to convert Chelsea’s third goal at Trevoh Chalobah’s expense, showcases his tinder-dry sense of humour on Sky. “Obviously I’ve got a hat-trick earlier in the season and another today … I said sorry to Trev [Chalobah] after … an assist on his first game back is great for him! … I had to put it in the net for sure … [Chalobah] is my brother, he told me ‘no way you took my goal!’ but bro, come on, this is what they pay me to do! … [Chalobah] was unbelievable … he slotted in seamlessly … I am really delighted for him … it’s no coincidence that he and Reece James are back and we win … when the title talk started we went winless in five so I don’t want to talk about it any more! … I just say whatever the manager said, because that’s what I believe as well!”
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The table. Here’s how the top of the Premier League looks after that …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 21 | 30 | 50 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 22 | 22 | 44 |
| 3 | Nottm Forest | 22 | 11 | 44 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 22 | 17 | 40 |
| 5 | Man City | 22 | 15 | 38 |
… and this is the state of affairs at the bottom.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Everton | 21 | -10 | 20 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton | 22 | -19 | 16 |
| 18 | Ipswich | 22 | -23 | 16 |
| 19 | Leicester | 22 | -25 | 14 |
| 20 | Southampton | 22 | -35 | 6 |
Chelsea were good value for their first Premier League win in six attempts. Apart from a wobble just before the break, they were in control for the majority of the game. Their reward: back up to fourth in the table, leapfrogging Manchester City. As for Wolves, they remain in serious danger of relegation. There were flashes in their play that promise better days; there were also more of those costly set-piece lapses that have got them in this trouble in the first place. A mixed bag, then. Not a classic, but Chelsea have snapped their winless run and won’t care a jot. They go to Manchester City at the weekend in the hope of consolidating their position in the table; Wolves host Arsenal in a game that could have big consequences at both ends.
FULL TIME: Chelsea 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Chelsea secure their first three-point haul of 2025. Wolves are still waiting for theirs.
90 min +4: Sanchez is booked for taking his sweet time over a goal kick.
90 min +3: On Sky Sports, Alan Smith names returning Chelsea hero Trevoh Chalobah as his player of the match.
90 min +2: Rodrigo Gomes has been lively since coming on. He skitters down the right and reaches the byline, but his low cross is smacked clear by Disasi. No consolation for Wolves.
90 min +1: The first of five additional minutes should see Chelsea make it four, but having been teed up by Sancho’s left-wing dribble, Jackson flashes wide left from six yards.
90 min: Felix carelessly loses possession 40 yards from his own goal. Cunha advances down the inside-right channel and feeds Strand Larson, whose first-time shot on the turn flies straight at Sanchez. Chelsea counter, and Semedo is booked for a cynical tug on Caicedo.
88 min: George picks up his first Premier League booking in short order, punishment for delaying a restart.
87 min: Chelsea have calmed things down after that recent Wolves flourish. Some good old time-management the order of the day.
85 min: Chelsea make two more changes, replacing Madueke and Palmer with Joao Felix and the 18-year-old Premier League debutant Tyrique George.
83 min: Rodrigo Gomes tees up Guedes, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked. Then Strand Larsen strides into the Chelsea box from the left and shoots. Sanchez makes an unconventional stop with his shoulder, but stop the shot he does.
81 min: Cunha’s corner isn’t all that. Chelsea half clear it, then Guedes slashes a wild attempt at a cross from the right deep into the stand behind. Guedes wears the look of a man who knows the jig is up.
80 min: Cunha feeds Rodrigo Gomes into the box down the right with a cute sliderule pass. Rodrigo Gomes should shoot, but elects to cutback to nobody in particular instead. But after another phase of play, Rodrigo Gomes attempts exactly the same pass from the same position, and this time finds Cunha, who sends a rising shot towards the top-left corner. Sanchez tips it around the post.
78 min: Palmer releases Jackson down the inside-left channel. Jackson reaches the edge of the box, opens his body, and sidefoots a powerful low curler into the bottom right. But it won’t count. Jackson had gone too early, and was clearly offside.
77 min: Chelsea respond with a double sub. Disasi and Gusto replace James and Dewsbury-Hall.
75 min: A triple change for Wolves. Rodrigo Gomes, Bellegarde and Guedes come on for Ait-Nouri, Andre and Sarabia.
73 min: Strand Larsen chases after another long Sa blooter, and once again nearly gets on the end of it. But Sanchez snaffles on the edge of his area.
72 min: Semedo fouls Dewsbury-Hall out on the right touchline. James curls the free kick into the box. Doherty heads clear, but Wolves can’t get out. Chelsea continue to probe and pile on the pressure.
70 min: Palmer’s floated free kick is no good, and Cunha tries to start a counter. Caicedo cynically brings him down and goes into the book.
69 min: It’s all Chelsea now. Sancho tries to work room for a shot, cutting in from the left, but can’t quite manage it. He lays off to Palmer, who is skittled by Joao Gomes. Another free kick for the hosts, 35 yards out in a central position.
67 min: That’s now 19 times Wolves have conceded from a set piece this season. Manchester United and Southampton becoming dots in the rear-view mirror with their measly totals of 11.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-1 Wolves (Madueke 65)
The free kick’s essentially a corner from the left. Palmer swings it long. Chalobah rises highest at the far stick, with Sa on flap-a-bout. His header back across goal is going in, but Madueke stoops to head across the line from a yard out, just to make sure. All of a sudden, Chelsea have regained total control!
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65 min: Ait-Nouri is fortunate to avoid a booking after pulling back Jackson near the left-hand corner flag. But it is a free kick, from which …
64 min: That’s stunned Wolves a little bit. They’d been growing into the half, and will have fancied their chances of a second goal. But now Chelsea are first to everything again.
62 min: Chelsea’s opening goal had been coming. That one, not so much. But the hosts are ahead again! Then a change that was being readied before the goal, as Neto makes way for Sancho.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Wolves (Cucurella 60)
Cucurella starts a move out on the left. The ball’s shuttled wide right to Madueke, who sends an inswinger into the box. Dewsbury-Hall gently flicks it on. Cucurella chests down on the edge of the six-yard box and pokes into the bottom right. Easy as that!
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60 min: Dewsbury-Hall makes up for his error by clearing Semedo’s free kick. Then up the other end …
59 min: Joao Gomes wriggles away from Dewsbury-Hall and is brought down from behind. Dewsbury-Hall is fortunate not to go into the book, but it’s a free kick 35 yards out. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Chelsea box.
58 min: Wolves spend a bit of time on the ball. Patient passing. Suddenly Sa sprays a long pass down the middle and is this close to finding Strand Larsen on the edge of the box. Sanchez comes to the edge of his box to claim.
56 min: Madueke advances down the right and enters the box, but can’t get a proper shot away. Goal kick. It’s all a bit scrappy, and Stamford Bridge has gone quiet. Wolves will be perfectly happy with all this.
54 min: Wolves with a free kick out on the left. Andre takes an Arsenalesque age over it, then sends it straight into the arms of Sanchez. Not worth the wait.
52 min: Neto is getting spurned-lover pelters from the away end every time he touches the ball. Panto season not over yet.
50 min: Wolves look a different side now. Cunha wins a corner down the left. He takes it himself … and once again whips his delivery straight into the side netting. To be fair to Cunha, he’s obviously been told to swing the corners viciously towards the near stick. It’s where the equaliser came from, after all. Small margins.
49 min: Neto crosses from the left. Madueke tries to steer a shot goalwards, but Semedo blocks. Chelsea come again, through Madueke on the right once more, but his shot, intended for the top-left corner, is slammed straight at Sa.
47 min: … and now some worried moans as Sanchez slices a clearance. No harm done, but Chelsea could do with someone putting their foot on the ball and settling everyone down.
46 min: The first groan of the half after 26 seconds, Caicedo clanking a dreadful pass straight to Andre, who should do better with his pass forward, the ball soon ending up back with Sanchez. But that’s betrayed home anxieties in short order.
Wolves get the second half underway. Chelsea kicking towards the Shed this time. No changes.
Half-time postbag. “I mean, that had everything; energetic first 25 minutes, a goal, then the slow realisation from Chelsea that they’re too knackered too play and that poor KDH is a bit out of his depth (some of Palmer’s looks to him have been priceless), and Wolves realising we don’t have a midfield and that we can’t head the ball. Excited for more!” – Matt Muir
“It’s weird how you suddenly notice something that’s been staring you in the face for decades. ‘Old Gold’ is one of the great club nicknames, but Wolves don’t actually play in old gold-coloured kit. According to the great Historical Football Kits website, they haven’t done so since the 1930s. Unfortunately, another team has a lock on all the ‘orange’ nicknames” – Kári Tulinius
“With all due respect to the Premier League, Chelsea, Wolves and yourself, am I the only one tuning in (not sure what the liveblog equivalent of ‘tuning in’ is) to see if there’s an update from Simon McMahon on the big Dundee derby at Dens Park tonight?” – Rob Knap
(It’s 1-0 to Dundee at half-time, Rob, Simon Murray with a first-minute header. No word from our poor old MBM pal Simon McMahon, who is possibly on his second or third mug of turbo-Bovril already.)
Half-time entertainment. A schadenfreude special courtesy of the ever-entertaining John Brewin.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Chelsea were the better team for the majority of the first half … but Wolves turned the tables during the last few minutes, and will be much the happier of the two sides now. The momentum with the visitors; the hosts once again threatening to drop points from a winning position. A dramatic, nerve-jangling, entertaining second half coming up, I’ll be bound.
45 min +7: Tosin is booked for arguing the toss over the equaliser. The game then restarts, and Ait-Nouri advances down the right and wins a corner. Sanchez manages to punch this one clear. Chelsea are suddenly desperate to hear the half-time whistle.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Wolves (Doherty 45+6)
Cunha loops the corner in from the left to the near post. The ball’s heading towards the top-left corner. Sanchez rises highest and claims, but the ball squirts out of his hands and drops to Doherty, who pokes into the bottom-left corner from a couple of yards. Chelsea ship a lead yet again!
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45 min +5: Joao Gomes nutmegs Dewsbury-Hall to advance down the left. Dewsbury-Hall gets back to knock the ball out for a corner. From which …
45 min +4: Stamford Bridge is on edge. The home fans anxious. Chelsea have suddenly gone into their shell, memories of Fulham, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth no doubt racing through their minds.
45 min +2: Strand Larson is penalised for a garden-variety foul on James. The Wolves bench aren’t happy, and coach Luis Miguel, having said his piece with too much emotion, goes into the referee’s notebook.
45 min: Wolves are beginning to apply some pressure on Chelsea, who have recently developed a habit of shipping leads, their fans getting accordingly anxious. They’ll have six additional minutes in which to turn this momentum into something substantial.
44 min: Wolves have a free kick in Chelsea territory. They work it this way and that, the ball eventually ending up with Joao Gomes on the left. A cross is eyebrowed wide right by Cunha.
43 min: Cunha, having stolen the ball off Madueke, has the opportunity to send Sarabia clean through on goal down the inside-right channel, but hopelessly shanks a simple pass.
41 min: Andre is spun way too easily by Palmer, and responds by crudely hacking the Chelsea star to the ground from behind. That’s a no-brainer of a booking.
40 min: Ait-Nouri sashays in from the right and one-twos with Cunha. They nearly pick their way through the Chelsea back line, but Chalobah is on point to clear. Better from Wolves.
39 min: Yep, Caicedo’s back in. While he was getting treatment, Cunha was given another tactical pep-talk by the Wolves bench.
38 min: Caicedo is thankfully back up again. He limps to the sideline but looks prepared to come back on again.
37 min: Caicedo comes off second best in an old-school 50-50 with Andre. There didn’t look to be too much in it, but the Chelsea midfielder is thrashing around the turf in a lot of pain. On comes the physio.
35 min: Wolves enjoy some possession in the Chelsea half. They don’t do a great deal with it, but baby steps.
33 min: The free kick’s no good. Some relief for Wolves, who have now conceded 18 goals in the Premier League this season from a set-piece situation. Manchester United and Southampton are next on the list with 11.
32 min: Madueke drifts past Joao Gomes on the right and is brought down just outside the box. James prepares to send the free kick into the mixer.
31 min: Dewsbury-Hall sprays a delightful crossfield pass towards Neto on the left touchline. Neto comes infield and reaches the edge of the box, only to lose all ambition and turn tail.
29 min: Cunha slaps the corner straight into the side netting. What an anti-climax.
28 min: Wolves try to hit back immediately, Semedo’s presence down the left winning their first corner of the evening. Some pushing and shoving before it can be taken. The referee comes across to issue a few stern words.
27 min: It was fair to say that goal had been coming. Doherty can be thankful that it was only an indirect result of his miscommunication with Sa. That’s probably not going to make him feel much better, is it?
26 min: … but once VAR has a long look, Tosin is found to have taken possession of the pass while clearly onside. The goal stands!
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Wolves (Tosin 24)
The corner’s half cleared. James, on the edge of the D, feeds a pass back into the box, who spins and whips an instinctive shot past Sa. However, the flag pops up for offside …
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23 min: A speculative ball down the Chelsea left. Sa comes to the edge of his area to claim, but Doherty heads it past him! Neto is lurking but can’t get to the ball ahead of Doherty, who makes up for his error by blootering out for a corner. From which …
22 min: Semedo, who had started the game on the right, is now operating on the left. He’s found on the edge of the D by Cunha, but opts against shooting. Cunha takes up possession again and drags a shot wide left.
21 min: Jackson barrels down the left and enters the box, but takes too long to get his shot away.
20 min: To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Sa is fine to continue. The game restarts. Let’s see if Wolves take a different tack.
19 min: Sa goes down holding his left foot. That gives Wolves the opportunity to go en masse to their boss on the touchline for tactical guidance. Vítor Pereira flips open his notepad and dispenses some beneficial advice.
17 min: Palmer gets them going, though, dribbling into the box from the left and threading a low drive towards the bottom right. Sa extends fully to parry and Wolves clear their lines. So close to the opener.
16 min: The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is a little muted right now. Everyone struggling to shake off the Monday blues.
15 min: Agbadou takes a heavy touch under pressure from Jackson, clanking out for a corner … that isn’t awarded. Goal kick.
13 min: Palmer curls an effort past the left-hand upright. This game is pretty open and surely won’t stay goalless for long.
11 min: A weird slow-motion ruckus in the Wolves box as Neto crosses from the left. Sa can’t claim, Dewsbury-Hall can’t connect, Doherty can’t clear. All tangled up on the floor. Eventually Agbadou clatters the ball clear.
10 min: Chelsea have enjoyed 62 percent of possession so far, taking seven touches in the Wolves box. Wolves haven’t made it into Chelsea’s yet.
9 min: Madueke already looks to have the better of Ait-Nouri. He steams past him again, looping a cross in from the right. Sa claims. Could be a long evening for the Wolves left wing-back.
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8 min: Strand Larsen again attempts to make good down the inside-right channel. Again it’s Chalobah who stops him, the defender copping a whack upside the head in doing so. The whistle goes for the foul and the pressure is off.
6 min: Now it’s Wolves’ turn to go again, and Cunha nearly releases Strand Larsen down the inside-right channel with a forensic pass. Chalobah extends a leg to put a stop to Strand Larsen’s gallop. A fine saving tackle, though he’s moving a big gingerly having made it.
5 min: Neto sends the corner in from the left. Wolves clear their lines, and suddenly Ait-Nouri is bombing down the middle. He’s got options either side, though having made it all the way to the edge of the D, you’d expect him to shoot. He doesn’t, though, and the move breaks down. What a run, though.
4 min: Dewsbury-Hall cuts in from the right and crosses deep. Agbadou and Doherty combine to bundle the ball out for a corner with Jackson lurking.
3 min: Chalobah creams a lovely pass down the left to release Neto. Another loose touch; another opportunity goes begging. This is an impressive start by Chelsea, however.
2 min: James hits the corner long and Jackson gets on the end of it at the far stick, albeit to little effect. Sa claims the ball. But Chelsea come back again, Madueke out-powering Ait-Nouri down the right and entering the box. He’s got the opportunity to shoot, but takes one touch too many and a glorious chance is gone.
1 min: Chelsea are immediately on the front foot. Neto crosses from the left, the Wolves old boy’s ball earning the first corner of the evening. James to send it in from the right.
Chelsea get the ball rolling. Wolves will be kicking towards the Shed in this first half.
The teams are out! Chelsea in blue, Wolves in old gold. We’ll be off after a quick blast of this.
Pre-match postbag. “This is an incredibly odd starting 11 and bench for Chelsea (bless Trev for not telling them all to do one after the way he’s been treated); evidence of the wildly misprofiled and inconsistent squad-building despite the insanity of the spend. Could see this being another nervy and unpleasant one, particularly if it’s not comfortable by the 60th minute” – Matt Muir
“Wonder if Wolves will get revenge for what Madueke did to them in the reverse fixture. Surely Chelsea isn’t THAT much nicer than Wolverhampton for his statement, and then scoring a hat-trick against them, to go unpunished” – Kieran McKintosh
Wolves boss Vítor Pereira talks to Sky. “We conceded goals we cannot concede [in the 3-0 losses against Forest and Newcastle] … but we must look what we did in the game … we did things well … we need to correct defensively … the players believe in what they are doing … the last two results were not what we expect but we try to play with our qualities … this is very important … I am expecting Chelsea to be strong … I am looking for my team to improve … try to increase the level … [Matheus Cunha] can bring us different approaches in attack … different skills … experience … one against one … goals … to create identity you cannot change each game … we must have our model … try to play our game … we know what we need to do.”
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca speaks to Sky Sports. “We had some problems … we tried to find different solutions and adapt … in this moment of the season many teams have problems with injury … [Trevoh Chalobah] can help us get the three points … I know [Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall] quite well and how he can help us … for sure he is going to play well … we have many important players … [Wesley Fofana] is a big loss … hopefully he can come back soon … the reason I said we were not in the title race is because I work every day with the players and can see we are not ready for many reasons … you cannot compete when you finish 12th then suddenly first or second … hopefully we can start again to win games and see where we are.”
Updated
The big news for Chelsea: Cole Palmer, who had been an injury doubt, is good to start. They make five changes to the XI that started the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo and Pedro Neto are in. Jadon Sancho and Josh Acheampong drop to the bench, while Enzo Fernández, Ben Chilwell and Roméo Lavia miss out altogether.
Wolves make three changes in the wake of their 3-0 defeat at Newcastle United. Pablo Sarabia, Matheus Cunha and captain Nélson Semedo come in for Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan, who all drop to the bench.
The teams
Chelsea: Sanchez, James, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Jackson.
Subs: Jorgensen, Disasi, Joao Felix, Nkunku, Sancho, Gusto, George, Acheampong, Guiu.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou, Semedo, Andre, Joao Gomes, Ait-Nouri, Sarabia, Cunha, Larsen.
Subs: Johnstone, Hwang, Dawson, Rodrigo Gomes, Doyle, Forbs, Bellegarde, Goncalo Guedes, Pedro Lima.
Referee: Simon Hooper
VAR: Matt Donohue
Updated
Preamble
Chelsea are still in the title race, kinda, arguably; Wolves are definitely involved the relegation battle. This one has implications at both ends of the table, so it could be a whole lot of fun. It begins at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 21 | 30 | 50 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 22 | 22 | 44 |
| 3 | Nottm Forest | 22 | 11 | 44 |
| 4 | Man City | 22 | 15 | 38 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 22 | 12 | 38 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 21 | 15 | 37 |
| 7 | AFC Bournemouth | 22 | 10 | 37 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 22 | -1 | 36 |
| 9 | Brighton | 22 | 5 | 34 |
| 10 | Fulham | 22 | 4 | 33 |
| 11 | Brentford | 22 | 1 | 28 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 22 | -3 | 27 |
| 13 | Man Utd | 22 | -5 | 26 |
| 14 | West Ham | 22 | -16 | 26 |
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 10 | 24 |
| 16 | Everton | 21 | -10 | 20 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton | 21 | -17 | 16 |
| 18 | Ipswich | 22 | -23 | 16 |
| 19 | Leicester | 22 | -25 | 14 |
| 20 | Southampton | 22 | -35 | 6 |
