February 08, (THEWILL) — Chelsea claimed their fourth consecutive league victory under Liam Rosenior with a 3-1 win at Molineux, thanks to a devastating first-half display from Cole Palmer. The midfielder netted three times in 25 minutes, converting two penalties and adding a clinical finish to leave the hosts facing a chorus of boos at half-time.
Palmer opened the scoring from the spot in the 13th minute after Matt Doherty fouled Joao Pedro inside the box. The visitors doubled their lead in the 35th minute when Palmer dispatched his second penalty, awarded after Yerson Mosquera pushed Joao Pedro. Three minutes later, Palmer completed his hat-trick by firing home from Marc Cucurella’s cross.
The hosts responded well after the interval. Mateus Mane struck the post with a spectacular outside-of-the-boot attempt in the 54th minute, and moments later, Tolu Arokodare reduced the deficit by converting from close range after Adam Armstrong’s header from Mane’s corner.
Despite their improvement, Wolves could not mount a sustained comeback. Chelsea held firm to claim maximum points, moving to within one point of fourth-placed Manchester United in the table.
Wolves remain bottom of the division, 18 points from safety, with their defensive frailties continuing to undermine efforts to climb out of the relegation zone. The gap to survival grows increasingly daunting with each passing week.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
