Noni Madueke delivered a stunning hat-trick as Chelsea triumphed over Wolves with a decisive 6-2 victory, marking Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League win as Chelsea’s head coach. Meanwhile, Newcastle secured a contentious 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.
Maresca, fresh from a challenging debut that ended in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, was eager for his team to find their rhythm. Chelsea’s scoring spree at Molineux came on the heels of a UEFA Conference League play-off win against Servette, setting the stage for an explosive performance.
Chelsea opened the scoring just 98 seconds into the match when Nicolas Jackson capitalized on a defensive mishap from Wolves, heading the ball in from close range. Tensions heightened as Madueke, who previously criticized Wolverhampton on social media, drew further ire after sharing his location shortly before the match.
Wolves responded in the 27th minute with Matheus Cunha leveling the match thanks to a powerful strike following an assist from Rayan Ait-Nouri. However, Chelsea regained the lead just before half-time when Cole Palmer deftly lobbed the ball over Wolves’ keeper, Jose Sa.
As the match progressed, Chelsea firmly took control. After a brief scare, Madueke scored his first after a deflected shot found the net. He followed that with another composed goal just seconds later, completing his hat-trick with a third neatly placed shot, again assisted by Palmer.
Joao Felix, newly signed from Atletico Madrid, made an impressive debut, sealing the match with a goal in the 80th minute. He found the back of the net from a well-placed cross by Pedro Neto.
Over at the Vitality Stadium, Newcastle fought back to equalize against Bournemouth after falling behind due to a goal from Marcus Tavernier. The Magpies found their footing in the second half when Anthony Gordon scored, only for Bournemouth to have a late winner overturned by VAR after a handball was detected.
In other news, Arne Slot is set to lead Liverpool in his first Premier League home match against Brentford today. Recently appointed after Jurgen Klopp’s departure, Slot aims to build on his initial victory against Ipswich to kickstart his tenure at Anfield.
