WOLVES 1-3 CHELSEA: Player ratings from Molineux after Cole Palmer helped Liam Rosenior's side return to winning ways.
17:00, 07 Feb 2026
Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's first goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on February 07, 2026 in Wolverhampton, England
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Cole Palmer celebrating his opener during Chelsea's clash against Wolves(Image: Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
Cole Palmer fired Chelsea to a 3-1 victory over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday afternoon. The Blues blew Rob Edwards' side away in the first half as they returned to winning ways following Tuesday night's defeat to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.
Palmer put Chelsea ahead inside the opening quarter of an hour from 12 yards following a careless challenge on Joao Pedro by Matt Doherty. Malo Gusto almost doubled the visitors' lead a few moments later, but Jose Sa managed to bat the defender's near-post effort out for a corner.
Suddenly, the floodgates opened; the former Manchester City ace scored his second penalty of the afternoon on the 30-minute mark before completing his hat-trick a few moments later. Wolves leapt out of the gates in the second half, with Tolu Arokodare pulling one back following a goal-mouth scramble.
So, with that being said, football.london has rated each and every Chelsea players' performance vs Wolves.
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Starting Lineup
Robert Sanchez – 6
Sanchez didn't have much to do in the first half. He must've been freezing. The Spaniard couldn't have done much about Wolves' opener.
Marc Cucurella – 6
Cucurella provided the assist for Palmer to complete his hat-trick, pulling the ball back from the byline with a good cross.
Wesley Fofana – 6
Fofana cleared the Blues' lines in the opening minutes of what was a tense start to the clash. He made a good recovery challenge on Arokodare midway through the second half, doing just enough to stop him from getting a clean connection on his strike.
Trevoh Chalobah – 6
Chalobah did well to keep Tolu Arokodare at bay in the first half. He also made a crucial challenge on Matheus Mane before the break, racing across the backline to cover for his Fofana.
The Cobham graduate didn't cover himself in glory at the start of the second half, however, losing his marker, whose flick-on from a corner landed at the feet of Arokodare. Chalobah bounced back well, and stood strong for the remainder of the tie.
Malo Gusto – 6
Gusto almost doubled Chelsea's lead on the half-hour mark, but his near-post effort was batted away by Sa.
Andrey Santos – 6
Santos was safe in possession and looked at home in the Chelsea midfield. He appeared to pick up a slight knock in the second half.
Moises Caicedo – 6
Caicedo made a couple of good tackles on the edge of the opposition box, stopping Wolves from mounting any counter-attacks. He made a great slide tackle on the hour mark to extinguish a Wolves attack.
Enzo Fernandez – 6
Like Santos and Caicedo, Fernandez had a good first half, recycling possession in the opposition half. He picked up a needless yellow card after the break, but generally did well.
Pedro Neto – 4
Neto made a few good runs, but he largely struggled to get past Hugo Bueno in the first half. He didn't have much of an impact after the break either, missing a gilt-edged header from close range.
Cole Palmer – 8
After a quiet opening quarter of an hour, Palmer broke the deadlock from the spot. The Chelsea talisman doubled his side's lead with another penalty – and 50th for the club – before completing his first half hat-trick a few moments later.
Joao Pedro – 7
Picking up from where he left off on Tuesday night, Pedro held the ball up well. The Blues striker was superb down the channels, winning each of the spot-kicks in the first half. The penalty calls were not well-received by the home support, though both fouls were verified by the Video Assistant Referee.
Substitutes
Alejandro Garnacho – 5
Chelsea had their back against the wall when Garnacho replaced Palmer, so the Blues winger had to put in a few hard yards before getting any meaningful touches on the ball. That said, he struggled.
Josh Acheampong – 6
Acheampong made a good run shortly after coming on, dragging Chelsea up the pitch to relieve some pressure. A few moments later, he made a great sliding tackle in the far side, just in front of the travelling support.
Liam Delap – 5
Delap didn't have much to do. He held the ball up well a few times, but his teammates struggled to create him many, if any, chances.
Jorrel Hato – 5
Hato stepped into midfield, replacing Santos. He covered the ground well, but generally didn't have much to do either.
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The Chelsea starting lineup: Robert Sanchez; Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Malo Gusto (Josh Acheampong 74'); Andrey Santos (Jorrel Hato 84'), Moises Caicedo; Cole Palmer (Alejandro Garnacho 60'), Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto; Joao Pedro (Liam Delap 74').
Attendance: 29,762 (3,008 travelling fans)