Chelsea beat Wolves 6-2 with a hat-trick from Noni Madueke, giving Enzo Maresca his first Premier League win as Blues manager. Newcastle saved a disputed 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Sunday.
Maresca lost 2-0 to Manchester City in his first game after replacing Mauricio Pochettino at Leicester in the offseason.
Chelsea’s low-key UEFA Conference League play-off win against Servette on Thursday was only the start of their goal spree at Molineux under Maresca.
Maresca’s team got off to a great start after 98 seconds as Matheus Cunha flicked his corner clearing to Nicolas Jackson, who headed home from six yards.
Jackson’s goal enraged Wolves supporters already upset with Chelsea after Madueke wrote and erased a negative assessment of Wolverhampton hours before kickoff.
Madueke posted, “this place is s**t” from Wolverhampton.
He subsequently said, “Damn wrong Instagram account. You guys move too fast.”
Cunha leveled the score in the 27th minute after tormenting Chelsea again after last season’s hat-trick.
Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo lost control, and Rayan Ait-Nouri raced forward and set up Cunha, whose ferocious shot beat Robert Sanchez and ignited a samba-dancing celebration.
After Jackson’s pass, Cole Palmer scored a stunning goal over Wolves goalie Jose Sa in the 45th minute.
Chelsea riot
Ait-Nouri’s free-kick was mishandled by the Blues seconds before halftime, and Toti headed it to Jorgen Strand Larsen, who scored from close range.
The match turned around in the 49th minute when Palmer found Madueke and Ait-Nouri deflected his effort in.
After Palmer’s run exposed Wolves’ creaking defense, Madueke scored again nine minutes later, finishing calmly through Sa’s legs.
The 22-year-old completed his treble by finishing off another Palmer assist to hush the Wolves fans.
After joining Chelsea permanently from Atletico Madrid earlier in the week, Joao Felix scored the last goal in the 80th minute off the bench.
After Pedro Neto picked him out, Felix, who spent the second part of the 2022-23 season on loan at Chelsea, shot into the top corner.
Antoine Semenyo’s low cross was tapped in by Marcus Tavernier in the 37th minute after Joelinton lost control at the Vitality Stadium.
Eddie Howe’s squad equalized in the 76th minute when Harvey Barnes crossed and Anthony Gordon scored from close range.
The VAR ruling that Dango Ouatarra handled before heading in in stoppage time infuriated Bournemouth.
Later on Sunday, Liverpool manager Arne Slot will lead his first Premier League home game against Brentford.
Klopp resigned after nine successful years at Anfield, and Slot was hired from Feyenoord to replace him.
Last Saturday, Liverpool’s 45-year-old manager won 2-0 against Ipswich in his first league encounter.
