**Chelsea secured a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals by surviving a second-half Wolves fightback at Molineux – where Rory Delap was sent off on his return to action.**
Goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George and Estevao put the Blues in control and they appeared to be cruising into the last eight.
Delap, out since August with a hamstring injury, came on as a substitute shortly after Tolu Arokodare had pulled a goal back for Wolves.
David Moller Wolfe’s 73rd-minute goal then offered the home fans hope and Delap was dismissed in the 86th-minute.
The striker, booked for fouling Yerson Mosquera, was given a second yellow card after needlessly barging into Emmanuel Agbadou.
Jamie Gittens made it 4-2 in spectaular fashion and Wolf scored again less than two minutes later.
A chaotic end to the tie was in stark contrast to a one-sided start in which Chelsea were two up within 15 minutes and three up by half-time.
They were helped by woeful Wolves, whose terrible defending was a big factor in all of the first-half goals.
For the first, Andrey Santos fired home from near the edge of the penalty area after Arokodare had given the ball straight to Gittens.
Chelsea doubled the lead with a move from back to front, started by keeper Filip Jorgensen and culminating in Gittens dashing down the left and laying the ball across for George to tap in.
Shortly before half-time, Wolves were punished after being caught trying to play with the ball out from the back.
Andrey Santos robbed Fer Lopez and the ball ran to Estevao, who cleverly chipped over onrushing keeper Jose Sa.
Chelsea themselves conceded after themselves giving the ball away early in the second half.
Facundo Buonanotte was the culprit and Hwang Hee-vhan pounced to set up Arokodare, who fired past Jorgensen.
And after a long-throw in was helped on three times towards Wolfe, the Norwegian slammed a shot across Jorgensen and into the far corner of the net.
Chelsea then came under serious pressure but Gittens netted with a cracking first-time strike from 25 yards which went in off the post.
Wolves immediately launched the ball forward again and Wolfe bundled it in at the far post following Jørgen Strand Larsen’s flick-on, but Chelsea saw the game out.
**Chelsea:** Jorgensen, Gusto (Cucurella 61), Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Hato, Andrey Santos, Lavia (Fernandez 61), Estevao (Delap 61), Buonanotte (Caicedo 85), Gittens, George (Neto 76).
Subs not used: Sanchez, Fofana, James, Joao Pedro.
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