Noni Madueke silenced the critics with a stunning second-half hat trick, set up by Cole Palmer’s brilliant assists, as Chelsea routed Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-2 in a thrilling Premier League clash at Molineux on Sunday.
The victory marked Chelsea's first Premier League points of the season and a triumphant debut win for new manager Enzo Maresca, as the visitors dismantled the Wolves after an intense first half.
Maresca's side led twice in the first half with goals by Nicolas Jackson and Palmer, but both times the Wolves deservedly hit back through Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen.
The Wolves fell apart after the break, and Madueke took the game beyond them with three goals in 15 minutes. Joao Felix came off the bench to mark his return to the club with his side’s sixth goal.
Much has been made of Chelsea's huge squad, assembled at massive cost, and the puzzling challenge Italian Maresca has been hired to solve, but the youthful side he sent out on Sunday, including nine players aged 23 or under, gelled impressively.
Madueke was the villain for the home fans in more ways than one.
The English forward was booed from the start after a deleted social media post in which he insulted the city of Wolverhampton.
He silenced the hecklers in emphatic fashion, however, getting Chelsea's league campaign up and running after their opening defeat by champions Manchester City. “Today means a lot. I was really just trying to be clever and wait for the right moment,” Madueke said.
“It is unbelievable. (Palmer) is cold and I am fire, so it mixes well. He has the ability to always play a pass at the right time. I like to get the ball in space, beat people, and make things happen, so luckily today it worked.”
The pair combined to restore Chelsea's lead in the 49th minute, with the 22-year-old Madueke getting a bit lucky as his shot deflected off Rayan Ait-Nouri.
That goal sapped the fight out of Wolves, and it was Palmer again who sent the overlapping Madueke clear to slam a shot through the legs of Wolves keeper Jose Sa.
Madueke made it 5-2 with an almost identical goal, as Wolves conceded possession and Palmer sent him clear to complete his hat trick.
With Wolves in disarray, Pedro Neto, who joined Chelsea from them in the summer, teed up Felix for a cool finish.
Wolves will wonder what happened after they played some enterprising football in the first half.
They were caught cold when Jackson headed Chelsea in front after two minutes but deservedly leveled in the 27th minute when Cunha fired home after being set up by Ait-Nouri.
Wolves pressed for a second, but it was Chelsea who went back in front on the stroke of halftime, with Palmer producing a delightful lobbed finish from 30 meters with his left foot.
Chelsea were caught out again in first-half stoppage time, however, as Norwegian Strand Larsen opened his Wolves account, stretching out his foot to convert from close range after a free kick was headed across the penalty area.
