Chelsea shook off a flat first half and a chorus of half-time boos to beat managerless Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, rising to second in the Premier League. Malo Gusto's first senior goal finally broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, and Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto sealed a win that underlined the contrasting trajectories of these two clubs.
Wolves, guided by caretaker coaches James Collins and Richard Walker while the arrival of Rob Edwards is anticipated, were stubborn early on but created next to nothing. Once behind, their resistance faded, and the statistics told the story: just three shots, none on target, and only 35.5% possession, with Chelsea's superior quality and bench depth telling.
Breakthrough after the grind
For 45 minutes, Chelsea controlled the ball without conviction. Sam Johnstone denied Enzo Fernández from a free-kick and foiled Alejandro Garnacho in a one-on-one, while João Pedro dragged another presentable chance wide. Wolves' compact block frustrated and condensed the space, and Stamford Bridge turned restless when a malfunctioning corner routine in the 50th minute ended with the ball rolling all the way back to Robert Sánchez.