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CHELSEA UNSTOPPABLE — SECOND-HALF SURGE EARNS DOMINANT 3-0 VICTORY

Chelsea secured a dominant 3-0 Premier League win over Wolves with goals from Gusto, Joao Pedro, and Neto. Despite a strong first-half defensive stand from Wolves, Chelsea's second-half surge sealed the victory, leaving Wolves searching for answers.

Chelsea unstoppable — second-half surge earns dominant 3-0 victory
Malo Gusto, left, celebrates after scoring Chelsea’s first goal - PA Wire

Enzo Maresca's Chelsea defeated Wolves 3-0 for the second time in a row, leaving Wolves without a Premier League victory.

Despite having the lead for most of the first half, the Blues were unable to control the game because Alejandro Garnacho and Enzo Fernández wasted excellent opportunities.

Early in the second half, Garnacho found Malo Gusto for his first goal of the game, breaking the impasse.

The away team collapsed after that, with Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro quickly adding a second and a third.

Wolves will look back on this game with some positives, particularly their defensive performance in the first half and their late offensive attempts. But the club's new head coach will have their hands full considering their recent performances.

As Wolves continued to look for a replacement for Vitor Pereira, first-team coaches James Collins and Richard Walker took over in the dugout.

They will have cited the team's close 4-3 Carabao Cup loss to Chelsea last week as a possible source of inspiration for a team still looking to win the league.

The Blues had a chance to rise to second place in the table and maintain their league competitiveness with a win, while a number of teams above them dropped points.

Due to their recent inconsistencies, Enzo Maresca's team had to battle for a point against Qarabag, a European team, in the middle of the week.

Alejandro Garnacho, who scored in that match, continued his recent success in the first few minutes of this match by winning a free kick in a hazardous location and then finding space for an on-target effort.

With space on the wings to cross and constant pressure, the host team launched a barrage of early attacks that kept possession in Wolves' half of the field.

The goalie, Sam Johnstone, was beaten by Enzo Fernandez's bouncing shot, which narrowly missed the crossbar.

Wolves did counterattack, frequently using their attacking fullbacks. Hugo Bueno worked well with strikers Jorgen Strand Larsen and Hwang Hee-Chan on the left, while Jackson Tchatchoua created space for crosses from the right.

Chelsea mostly kept probing, creating chances, and controlling possession, but they lacked a finishing touch; therefore, the score stayed at 0-0 after the half.

Joao Pedro did not really impact the game, and striker Liam Delap was left isolated with limited touches of the ball. The Brazilian had his finest opportunity of the half from the edge of the 18-yard box, but he missed the mark and did not challenge the goalie.

Wolves had zero shots on the Chelsea goal despite looking more confident in the second half. If they wanted to win away from home, they would need to play with more courage.

Pedro Neto had appeared relatively quiet against his old team, but he started the second half with confidence as he outpaced Bueno and sent a cross into Liam Delap's path, but the Wolves' defence stopped it.

Malo Gusto gave the Blues their first goal after 51 minutes, having started with much more vigour and quality. Arriving unmarked in the area to turn in a Garnacho cross, the full-back recovered from a first-half hit to score his first goal for the team.

Wolves had to change the way they played; they were now obviously more eager to equalise and were pressuring their opponents as much as they could while successfully holding onto the ball.

However, they had only managed one goal away from home this season, which increased the difficulty of a possible comeback.

The home fans, who are well aware of Estevao's great potential, were thrilled when the adolescent was introduced at the hour mark. In fact, some of them jeered Maresca during halftime, demanding that the teenager be introduced.

They got their wish, as he made an impact in less than a minute by driving to the touchline, picking up the ball on the right flank, and drilling a cross into the danger zone, where Chelsea's second goal was hammered by Joao Pedro.

In his celebrations, Pedro gestured to his countryman, highlighting the impact he has had on the attack in a brief amount of time.

Wolves needed to attack with all their might, but they were also handing Chelsea greater chances to counter. Their third goal came minutes after Pedro's second, when Garnacho found Pedro Neto unguarded for a tap-in after making a spectacular run down the left flank.

With this Wolves team, a new head coach will have a lot of work ahead of them because their well-organised and deep defensive line from the first half was totally destroyed.

Joao Pedro was able to drift into the middle of the goal after Estevao did a good job of dragging in multiple markers. Johnstone had to tip his first attempt onto the bar, and Marc Guiu, who had just been brought on, nearly turned the ball in from close range.

Later in the game, Wolves' replacements had a beneficial influence. Just beyond the Chelsea box, Wesley Fofana shoved Mateus Manue from behind, deserving of a free kick, but none was awarded.

Shortly after, Marshall Munetsi ran brilliantly from the right side and missed the far post with a shot.

Chelsea had a comfortable and dominant performance throughout, and they were happy to defend in the final minutes of the game, eliminating any last-minute danger from the Wolves' attack.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

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Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

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Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

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