Chelsea emerged to the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup by the skin of their teeth, holding onto their lead following a Wolves comeback in the second half.
The Blues were clinical and professional in the opening 45 minutes and were rewarded with a 3-0 advantage - but seemed to switch off completely in the latter stages of the game, allowing the home side to find a way back.
A late goal by Jamie Gittens was required to avoid sending the game to penalties, and Chelsea will now advance to face League One Cardiff City in the next round.
Here are four things we learned from the game:
Santos energetic in midfield
Maresca rotated heavily for this fixture, which allowed several players to step into the limelight and demonstrate their ability. One such player was Andrey Santos.
Deployed alongside Romeo Lavia in the base of midfield, he was energetic and mobile - pouncing on misplaced Wolves passes. His opening goal after just five minutes oozed with confidence - taking the ball off Jamie Gittens and firing from the edge of the box; his shot nestling into the bottom right corner.
Later on, he showed great instinct to intercept a Jose Sa horror pass, allowing Estevao to finish deftly over the clambering keeper.
Santos was given a full runout and was key in building play out from the back, combining nicely with Chelsea’s centre back pairing. Maresca has trialled the midfielder in the number ten position, but a deeper role may end up being the perfect fit.
Delap continues unwanted trend
Many Chelsea fans were anticipating Liam Delap to make a cameo in this game, after the striker was named in a matchday squad for the first time since late August - and their wishes were granted.
However, his return to the team was cut short, as after two needless bookings in the span of eight minutes, Delap was sent off - much to the frustration of Enzo Maresca.
The first booking came after a needless shove in the Wolves box, and the second was completely and utterly preventable as the England striker made no attempt to play the ball - instead launching an elbow into Wolves midfielder Emmanuel Agbadou.
Maresca showed visible anger with his striker, exchanging words as he went down the tunnel. Following the match, he called the sending off ‘very stupid’, and added that his attempts to calm down the player after his first booking proved fruitless.
Delap was the most booked player in the Premier League last season with twelve yellow cards. He will need to show some discipline and a level of maturity if he hopes to lead the line for Chelsea on a permanent basis.
Brilliant wingers
With their head coach under recent pressure, Wolves employed a deep defensive strategy in order to nullify Chelsea’s goal threat as much as possible. Despite this, the Blues found a way through - thanks to their skilful forward line.
Jamie Gittens was the main standout and looks to be in a purple patch of form as of late. In particular, his precision with the ball, decision making and one-on-one ability were vital as the Blues took a quick two-goal lead; Gittens provided the assist for both goals.
Later in the game, he took the stadium by surprise with a volleyed strike that rebounded in off the left post - and proved vital for his team as it prevented a dreaded penalty shootout.
He played the full 90 minutes and will be pushing to keep his place against Tottenham at the weekend.
On the other flank, Estevao put in another measured and eye-catching performance and is demonstrating why he deserves a more permanent position in the team.
The Brazilian teenager is exuding a remarkable level of confidence, given the fact that this is his first season in English football, and scored with a fabulous chipped finish over Jose Sa to add to his overall goal tally.
He is a player who is completely justifying his inclusion in the Chelsea team, and will only get better as the months go by.
Shaky at the back
Despite Chelsea’s talent and depth in attack, their defensive work leaves a lot to be desired.
Filip Jorgensen was noticeably shaky from start to finish. Aside from a strong fingertip save to deny Strand Larrson in the second half, the Danish keeper never looked comfortable regarding cross claiming and box dominance - and regularly spilt or lost grasp of the ball in nervy moments.
Chelsea have used several centre back pairings so far this season as a result of injuries and red cards, and do not appear to have formed a solid base in their back line.
The sheer amount of rotation leads to chaotic organisation, which Wolves used to their advantage - scoring their second and third goals via a long throw-in and long ball respectively.
While the team fielded in this game is not Chelsea’s strongest, individual errors should still be ironed out - namely, Facundo Buanonotte, who gave the ball away cheaply at the start of the second half and allowed striker Tolu Arokodare space and time to get his team back into the game.
Age does not necessarily mean experience, and the Blues are more than capable of forming a solid defence with the players at their disposal. However, with the January transfer window fast approaching, defensive reinforcements may end up being a requirement.