Chelsea moved to second in the Premier League table on Saturday evening as they secured a 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues made a bright start to the match with Enzo Fernández troubling Sam Johnstone with a free kick early on, before the Argentina international soon played in his compatriot Alejandro Garnacho, who should have done better with the chance. It was a straightforward opening 45 minutes for Chelsea as they maintained control of the game, with the visitors not recording a single shot in the first half, though that didn’t stop some sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd booing their side off at half time with the score locked at 0-0.
The hosts were rewarded for their positive start after the replay as they broke the deadlock through Malo Gusto, heading past Johnstone in the six-yard box after a pinpoint cross from Garnacho. After Estêvão was introduced for Liam Delap in the 64th minute, it took just 68 seconds before he made an impact with a low cross that was diverted into the path of João Pedro to double Chelsea’s advantage.
Garnacho was involved again as he showed his pace down the left flank before cutting the ball across to Pedro Neto, for an easy finish against his former club. That’s now two wins in a row for Chelsea, with a trip to Burnley ahead after the international break.
Positives
A dominant display from Chelsea saw them create regular chances without coming under threat from Wolves. The victory also takes them to second in the Premier League table.
Negatives
The Blues’ could have been more clinical with their finishing in the first half, but the boos from the fans seemed a little harsh given they were in complete control.
Manager rating out of 10
Enzo Maresca, 7 — A well-timed introduction of Estevao saw the Brazil international double Chelsea’s lead almost immediately after Maresca put him on.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Robert Sánchez, 6 — Without a shot to deal with in the first half and an off-target effort from Marc Munetsi in the second, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was mainly a spectator.
DF Malo Gusto, 7 — A well-timed run and header from Garnacho’s cross in the 52nd minute saw Malo Gusto finally score his first Chelsea goal after 98 appearances!
DF Wesley Fofana, 7 — The 24-year-old helped Chelsea transition play by stepping up in possession, while he also impressed when dealing with set pieces into the box. He could have done better with a chance in the first half from Pedro Neto’s pass but he couldn’t get a strong connection.
DF Trevoh Chalobah, 6 — He was quick to anticipate danger and positioned himself astutely to put an end to Wolves’ limited amount of attacks.
DF Marc Cucurella, 6 — The Spain international created overloads in midfield when inverting from full-back, while keeping the majority of his work simple. Positioned himself intelligently to allow Alejandro Garnacho to isolate his marker.
DM Enzo Fernandez, 8 — Chelsea’s number eight was at the heart of all of the Blues’ best play, creating a big chance early on with an excellent scooped ball for Garnacho, and he almost caught the goalkeeper out on a couple of occasions with dangerous set-piece deliveries.
DM Moisés Caicedo, 7 — Caicedo was at his best as normal when pressing high to win back possession, but he did sometimes mistime his challenges, committing several fouls and picking up a booking.
AM Pedro Neto, 7 — The 25-year-old Portugal international stepped things up in the second half and had much more intent to his play, looking to beat his marker and get balls into the box every time he had possession. Neto then scored against his former club with a simple finish following bright work from Garnacho on the left.
AM Joao Pedro, 6 — Joao Pedro drifted in and out of the game in the first half, and after scuffing his first chance wide, he made no mistake in the second half, hitting with power past Johnstone to double Chelsea’s lead from Estevao’s deflected cross.
AM Alejandro Garnacho, 8 — The Chelsea winger should have done better with his chance after being played in by Fernandez, but he made amends after the break with a swift cut-back and perfectly delivered cross for Gusto’s opener. The former Man United star wrapped the game up with a cut back for Pedro Neto to score the Blues’ third goal.
FW Liam Delap, 5 — It was difficult to find space for the former Man City forward in the first half against Wolves’ back five, but he got more involved in the game after the first goal, and was unlucky not to have been found by Garnacho after he found space in the 63rd minute. Replaced by Estevao shortly after.
Substitutes
FW Estevao (on for Delap, 64″) 7 — Made an instant impact! Just 68 seconds passed before Estevao pushed the ball down the flank and produced an accurate low cross that found a way to Joao Pedro, who doubled Chelsea’s lead.
DF/MF Reece James (on for Gusto, 77″) N/R — Introduced to a rendition of “Reece James, he’s one of our own,” from the Chelsea crowd.
FW Marc Guiu (on for Neto, 77″) N/R — The young forward picked up intelligent positions when the ball was out wide, getting a touch to a powerful cross from Estevao that was directed off target in the 83rd minute.
MF Jamie Gittens (on for Pedro, 83″) N/R — The game had become a training exercise by the time Gittens came on, as he kept things simple from the right-flank, drifting in to find Garnacho that led to a blocked effort in the 91st minute.
MF Andrey Santos (on for Fernandez, 83″) N/R — There was not much for him to do as Chelsea maintained control with their 3-0 lead, as he came on in the same role as Enzo Fernandez and looked to provide options to recycle possession.
