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FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE – Chelsea secured their first Premier League title of 2025 with a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night.
The Blues predictably dominated their struggling visitors, taking a deserved lead in the first half through Tosin Adarabuyoyo.
Wolves played on the seeds of doubt that had been planted as Chelsea’s poor form, with Matt Doherty capitalizing on a Robert Sanchez error on the stroke of half-time.
A flurry of goals just after the hour mark from Mark Cucurella and Nonny Maduke eased the mildly growing sense of tension at Stamford Bridge as the Blues claimed the three points that take them above Manchester City and back at the Bridge. Premier LeagueTop four.
How the game unfolded
Enzo Maresca described managing Chelsea in January as a “disaster” due to the never-ending streak. transfer Speculation the results have not eased that pressure, with the Blues on five league games heading into Monday night’s clash.
A bright start quickly banished memories of poor form. Cole Palmer wreaked havoc tip-toeing between the lines, both wingers beating the full-backs opposite him and Mark Cucurella roaming around with his trademark sense of reckless abandon. However, it was the wolf That gifted Chelsea their success.
A boneheaded piece of miscommunication between Matt Doherty and Jose Sa, with minds fried by the daily stress that hangs over a relegation-fighting club, almost put the ball into his own net. The visitors escaped with a corner, which still led to the opener.
In the second leg of that set piece, Reece James’ deflected effort bounced mercifully into the middle of Tosin Adarabio. Fresh from it A brace against Morecambe last weekendThe newly prodigious centre-back kept his composure and scored the opening goal under Sane in the 24th minute.
If Chelsea’s first strike came with a helping hand, Wolves’ equalizer could also be wrapped up in a bow. Robert Sanchez fumbled Mathias Cunha’s corner in first-half stoppage time, sending the ball straight into the path of a grateful Doherty, who made up for his earlier error with a stabbed equaliser.
The Blues regrouped at the break, returning in the second half with a one-sided monopoly of possession and chances that defined the opening 45 minutes.
Cucurella finally made that dominance count on the hour mark, curling a sharp zig-zagging move inside the far post just before Wolves’ second-half shot. Noni Maduke’s in-swinging cross was flicked on by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and into Cucurella’s stride, who, like his teammate Tosin behind him, headed into the bottom corner.
Barely five minutes passed before Chelsea doubled their advantage. Trevoh Chalobah towered over a gaggle of gold shirts as he returned to smash Palmer’s floated free kick into the turf. Maduke nodded in before the ball could hit the net, completing a hat-trick of defensive goalscorers for the Blues. ChelseaThird part of the evening.
There was a collective sense of getting rid of the Blues during the closing stages, allowing Wolves to maintain the illusion of still being in the competition. However, Chelsea finally got a much-needed win that put the pressure back on their opponents, who sit above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
Check out the Chelsea vs Wolves player ratings here.
“This place is s***.” It was Maduke’s curt and assessment of Wolverhampton as a city on social media before he posted a A hat-trick against Wanderers Back in August. The England international apologized for his hastily deleted post, but once again had no reason to regret his impressive contribution against the same opposition.
Maduke spoke to Ryan Ait-Nouri so frequently and forcefully during the opening 20 minutes that Pereira took the unorthodox approach of replacing his full back. Nelson Semedo had more success against the scheming left footer, but as soon as he afforded Maduke more than a whisper of space, the headband-wearing forward swung in a cross that led to Cucurella’s go-ahead goal.
Maresca has Maduke’s work rate questioned At times this season, however, the forward showed plenty of willingness to steal a goal from Chalobah, nodding in from point-blank range before celebrating directly in front of the away fans, who now had another reason to dislike the winger.
Wolves boss Pereira described Cunha as a player who “can take the rabbit and the magic in a moment on the pitch and create something special”. Reece James was tasked with countering Brazil’s tactics and did so by turning the duel into a physical slugfest.
Wherever Cunha roamed, James’ shoulder was never far away. At one point midway through the second half, Wolves’ talisman drifted all the way into the center circle to evade his jailer-in-chief, yet the Blues skipper prepared to barge him (nearly) onto the turf.
There will be those who argue that Cunha wasn’t himself because he spent the week recovering from an illness, but James’ entire career has essentially been a comeback from a long injury. The Stamford Bridge crowd certainly appreciated their captain, treated to a standing ovation on the right as he trotted off for the final 15 minutes.
The speed of Trevoh Chalobah’s return to Chelsea’s first team was so swift Borrower called back A match day program was not even made for the visit of the Wolves.
Maresca insisted that Chalobah, who spent nearly two decades coming through the Blues academy, only joined Crystal Palace this summer to comply with the club’s demands for financial fair play. After the defensive injuries, “the best solution was to bring Trev back,” as the Italian explains.
Excitement for Chalobah’s first challenge on Monday swelled around Stamford Bridge, giving way to spontaneous outbursts of the returning defender’s name. The 25-year-old made several subsequent interventions that the shouts of approval were no longer just sentimental but fully deserved.
It was almost a fairytale return for Chalobah, whose header bounced forward and over the line before Maduke got his headband on the ball.
