Noni Madueke scored three goals (hat-trick) in the second half as Chelsea crushed hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-2 in a fierce Premier League match at Molineux on Sunday (25/8/2024) evening IST.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The result was the Blues’ first point in the Premier League this season and the first for new manager Enzo Maresca.
Maresca’s team took the lead twice in the first half through goals from Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer. But the home team managed to reply through Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen. The score at half-time ended 2-2.
Wolves then fell behind after the break, and Madueke took the game beyond them with three goals in 15 minutes, all assisted by the excellent Palmer.
Joao Felix came off the bench to mark his return to the club with his side’s sixth goal.
Madueke was seen as an enemy to the home fans in many ways. The England forward was jeered early on after a deleted social media post in which he insulted Wolverhampton.
However, he silenced his detractors in emphatic fashion, as Chelsea bounced back from their defeat by reigning champions Manchester City on the opening weekend.
The 22-year-old restored Chelsea’s lead in the 49th minute with a shot that deflected off Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The goal dampened the spirits of Wolves who were arguably the better team in the first half and it was Palmer who again teed up Madueke to fire past Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Madueke made it 5-2 with another almost identical goal as Wolves lost possession and Cole sent him free to complete his hat-trick.
With Wolves in disarray, Pedro Neto teed up Felix for a composed finish.