10-man Chelsea Scrape 4-3 Win Against Dogged Wolves.

Chelsea eventually got a 4-3 win at the Molineux yesterday in the Carabao Cup but they made it a little harder than it perhaps should have been.

It was a night of squad depth display as Chelsea started an almost entirely different lineup than their last match against Sunderland which they lost 2-1, the only player to retain his spot in the XI was Josh Acheampong as we saw starts for Romeo Lavia and Brazilian wonderkid, Estevao.

For Wolves, no player from their 3-2 loss to Burnley in the league was so lucky as Scott Parker named an entirely different XI that saw the likes of Hwang Hee Chan and Fer Lopez get starts.

The game began swiftly, and it took Chelsea only five minutes to break the deadlock. This first goal was a direct consequence of Wolves’ error, as Jamie Gittens intercepted a poor pass from Tolu Arokodare high up the pitch. and laid the ball off to Andrey Santos, who slotted his shot into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

Chelsea quickly doubled their advantage, demonstrating superior movement and decisive finishing in the attacking third. Just ten minutes later, in Tyrique George was the beneficiary of more excellent work from Gittens as the ex Dortmund man surged down the left flank, before squaring the ball for George to tap into an empty net from close range, extending Chelsea’s lead to 2-0.

The ease of the goals forced an early defensive change from Wolves in the 19th minute, as Matt Doherty was withdrawn for Rodrigo Gomes.

However, Chelsea’s clinical first-half performance was sealed in the 41st minute by a moment of brilliance that once again capitalized on Wolves’ poor passing. Santos was once more integral, stealing the ball after a poor pass out from goalkeeper Jose Sa, which led directly to Estêvão receiving the ball and executing a delightful chip over the keeper for 0-3.

Wolves’ did get a chance to pull one back in the 45th minute, but Tolu Arokodare could only head wide of the goal, wasting Wolves’ best chance of the half. The half-time whistle blew with Chelsea leading comfortably 3-0.

The second half began with immediate intent from the home side. Scott Parker signaled his urgency with a double substitution in the 46th minute, bringing on Marshall Munetsi and Ladislav Krejci.

The effect was almost instant: Arokodare, perhaps playing with renewed determination after his first-half misstep, launched a spectacular volley in the 47th minute that whistled just past the post moments after the restart, indicating a dramatic shift in energy.

That warning shot was not heeded by Chelsea and they were punished for it just a minute later. Tolu Arokodare found the net, scoring a deserved goal after receiving a pass from Hwang Hee-Chan and finishing calmly into the bottom corner to make the score 3-1

The game quickly became scrappy as Wolves pressed for another goal. In the 54th minute, Hwang Hee-Chan received a yellow card for a late slide tackle on Romeo Lavia. Chelsea’s bench, sensing the shift in momentum and noting that the youthful side had started to wobble, responded with a triple substitution in the 60th minute, bringing on more senior players like Liam Delap, Enzo Fernandez, and Marc Cucurella to replace Estêvão, Romeo Lavia, and Malo Gusto.

Wolves however continued to threaten, making another substitution in the 68th minute with Jørgen Strand Larsen replacing Hwang Hee-Chan and forcing a great fingertip save from Jorgensen in the 69th minute, although the shot from Larsen was ultimately disallowed for offside.

The frantic pace of the match continued, with Chelsea’s Tyrique George booked for an offense in the 72nd minute, further highlighting the lack of composure that was creeping into the visitors’ game. A minute later, Wolves were rewarded for their relentless pressure. Yerson Mosquera’s long throw-in was kept alive and fell to David Møller Wolfe, who fired a low volley into the far corner, to put the score at 3-2. The atmosphere at Molineux was electric.

Chelsea attempted to shut down the game, bringing on Pedro Neto for Tyrique George in the 76th minute and replacing Facundo Buonanotte with Moises Caicedo in the 85th minute in another attempt to solidify the midfield. However, a moment of individual rashness swung the momentum wildly again: substitute Liam Delap had received a yellow card in the 79th minute for pulling on Yerson Mosquera’s shirt and 7 minutes later he had his marching orders for a second yellow card after a reckless challenge on Emmanuel Agbadou with his elbow up.

Chelsea were down to 10 men and immediately on the back foot. Wolves smelled blood, and Jørgen Strand Larsen saw a big chance blocked by Jorrel Hato in the 87th minute, a crucial defensive intervention.

Yet, despite the man disadvantage, Chelsea conjured a moment of pure quality. In the 89th minute, Jamie Gittens who has been brilliant throughout scored a first-time volley from outside the box that hit the post and went in to restore Chelsea’s two goal lead. This spectacular strike seemed to have wrapped up the win for the ten men but Wolves had other ideas.

In the 91st minute, David Møller Wolfe struck again, capitalizing on chaotic defending and a poor clearance, with the ball bouncing off Moises Caicedo and into Wolfe’s path for him to finish, making the score 4-3. Moises Caicedo then received a yellow card for a late challenge in the 94th minute, as the final seconds became a desperate defensive attempt for Chelsea.

Ultimately, the referee’s whistle sounded in the 98th minute, concluding a 4-3 victory for Chelsea.