Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Wolves: Clinical Palmer Hat-Trick Inspires Blues

Chelsea faced little resistance in victory at Molineux.

Cole Palmer was at the heart of Chelsea’s triumph. | Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images.

Chelsea cruised to an emphatic 3–1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers as Cole Palmer’s first-half hat-trick helped the Blues to a fourth straight Premier League win.

Wolves gifted Chelsea their insurmountable advantage by the half-time whistle after conceding two sloppy penalties. Palmer, rather unsurprisingly, dispatched both with aplomb and proceeded to net his third at the end of a sweeping move down the left wing.

Tolu Arokodare pulled a goal back for Wolves after the restart but it proved nothing more than a consolation as Chelsea held firm for three crucial points.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Palmer delivered on his return to the starting lineup. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Liam Rosenior drew the ire of pundits for his reserved approach in the defeat to Arsenal in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. The absence of Palmer from the starting lineup was a major contributing factor in an underwhelming attacking performance.

An injury-hit campaign has proved frustrating for Palmer, especially with his 2026 World Cup place in jeopardy, but his recent displays have underscored his continued importance. While Chelsea are justifiably easing him back into regular starts, they can ill-afford to rest their talisman too often moving forward.

After a superb cameo from the bench in the crucial Champions League victory over Napoli, in which Palmer grabbed two assists, the attacking midfielder delivered the goods once more at Molineux. Two penalties were calmly converted, one in either corner, and Palmer took up the perfect position to fire home the game-ending third. His general link-up play was top-notch, too.

Palmer’s withdrawal on the hour mark hints at more managed minutes in the coming weeks but it’s no coincidence that Chelsea’s attack is most fluid when the 23-year-old is involved. He needs to start every game for the Blues.

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Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Wolves (4-2-3-1)

João Pedro starred for Chelsea. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Robert Sánchez—6.9: Hardly worked and his only real contribution was picking the ball out of his own net following Arokodare’s effort.

RB: Malo Gusto—7.2: Burst forward relentlessly down the right flank, offering Hugo Bueno no rest as he dovetailed nicely with Pedro Neto.

CB: Wesley Fofana—7.4: Generally unfazed by Arokodare but will be disappointed to have left Molineux without a clean sheet.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah—7.0: Much like Fofana, the Englishman was relatively untested bar a few shaky moments in the opening five minutes.

LB: Marc Cucurella—8.0: Supplied the assist for Palmer’s third with an accurate cutback and was a willing runner beyond the Wolves defence, regularly taking up menacing positions in the final third.

DM: Moisés Caicedo—8.4: A terrific all-round performance to stifle the majority of Wolves counter attacks and was tidy in possession when required to keep things ticking. Made 20 defensive contributions.

DM: Andrey Santos—7.2: Much less eventful than his previous trip to Molineux in which he scored and assisted but it was an entirely comfortable afternoon for the youngster.

RW: Pedro Neto—6.9: A constant thorn in the side of his former employers and drowned out the Molineux boos to deliver a lively display.

AM: Cole Palmer—9.5: Composure personified from the penalty spot as he stroked home twice and then completed his hat-trick in the 38th minute by rifling into the roof of the net. Never needed to escape second gear to run riot in the Midlands.

LW: Enzo Fernández—7.2: Shunted out to the left wing, as he was in the midweek defeat to Arsenal, and while he wasn’t as involved as usual, he did play a big part in Chelsea’s third.

ST: João Pedro—8.0: Another highly intelligent performance from the Brazilian, who won both first-half spot kicks and caused chaos with his clever runs.

SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (61’ for Palmer)—6.1: Unable to contribute much as the pace of the match slowed down in the closing stages..

SUB: Liam Delap (75’ for Pedro)—6.3: Managed to avoid a needless red card at Molineux on this occasion.

SUB: Josh Acheampong (75’ for Gusto)—6.5: Untroubled after his arrival.

SUB: Jorrel Hato (84’ for Santos)—N/A

Subs not used: Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK), Benoît Badiashille, Mamadou Sarr, Estêvão, Marc Guiu.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Moisés Caicedo is such a calming presence. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images.

• Another lively display from João Pedro further cements his position as Rosenior’s preferred No. 9. Despite working with Liam Delap previously at Hull City, the Chelsea manager can’t look beyond Pedro’s excellent form. The Brazilian only appears to be getting better with each passing match.
• A quiet afternoon for Enzo Fernández came as a result of his wide position on the left-hand side, which he operated in for an hour at Molineux. The usually energetic and cunning Argentine was pushed to the periphery and Rosenior has to find a productive way of getting the best out of both Palmer and Fernández at the same time.
• Moisés Caicedo conjured up another top midfield performance as he helped Chelsea keep their foot on the gas during the first half. The Ecuadorian’s aggressive approach allowed the Blues to retrieve possession high and force turnovers, while he screened the back four effectively after the break as Wolves became more involved. Rosenior can’t afford to do without Caicedo between now and the season’s end.

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The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Routine Victory

Chelsea were simply too good for Wolves. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

• 67% possession tells the story of a dominant Chelsea display, with the Blues seldom needing to move through the gears to clinch three points.
• Three big chances missed shows that Chelsea could have been even more comfortable winners, with Wolves unable to handle their myriad of attacking threats.
• Cole Palmer becomes the first player to score three first-half hat-tricks in Premier League history. A remarkable feat for someone so young.

Statistic	Wolves	Chelsea
Possession	33%	67%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.09	3.16
Total Shots	11	15
Shots on Target	3	6
Big Chances	1	6
Passing Accuracy	84%	93%
Fouls Committed	2	10
Corners	3	4

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