Palmer nets hat-trick as Chelsea ease past Wolves | OneFootball

Cole Palmer ran riot at Molineux as Chelsea brushed aside bottom-of-the-table Wolves with a convincing 3-1 win.

The forward arrived with modest league numbers this season but made light of that inside 40 minutes, tearing through a Wolves defence that completely lost its shape before the interval.

The visitors were handed the chance to go ahead when Joao Pedro was felled in the box with just 13 minutes played, and Palmer showed no nerves from the spot, rolling his effort into the corner.

Roughly 20 minutes later, history repeated itself - Pedro went down again and Palmer once more kept his cool, sending José Sá the wrong way.

With the hosts reeling, Liam Rosenior's side added a third before half-time. Cucurella slipped Palmer in behind and the 23-year-old surged into the area before smashing home to complete his treble just before the break.

The goals etched Palmer into the record books, making him the first player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks before half-time.

Rob Edwards' men offered a response after the restart. Matheus Mane rattled the woodwork and Tolu Arokodare capitalised on a loose ball from a corner to pull one back, briefly lifting the home side.

That proved as good as it got. Chelsea stayed organised, slowed the tempo and limited Wolves to half-chances as the game wore on, rarely looking like surrendering control.

The win makes it four on the bounce for Rosenior’s side and keeps Chelsea firmly in the mix for the Champions League places, sitting fifth and just a point off the top four.

Incidents: The story of the match

1':

The match begins

Chelsea takes the lead against Wolverhampton Wanderers, making it 1-0. Cole Palmer steps up and successfully converts the penalty, placing a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net.Wolverhampton Wanderers 0, Chelsea 1. Cole Palmer from Chelsea successfully scores the penalty, striking the ball with his left foot into the bottom right corner.

13':

GOALChelsea: Cole Palmer (Chelsea) scores penalty-kick!

Cole Palmer scores goal number 5 in the competition (14 matches) Cole Palmer scores goal number 52 for his team (115 matches)

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0, Chelsea 2. Cole Palmer from Chelsea successfully scores the penalty, striking the ball with his left foot into the bottom left corner.

35':

GOALChelsea: Cole Palmer (Chelsea) scores penalty-kick!

Cole Palmer scores goal number 6 in the competition (14 matches) Cole Palmer scores goal number 52 for his team (115 matches)

Chelsea extends their lead against Wolverhampton Wanderers, now 3-0. Cole Palmer scores with a left-footed shot from the center of the box, finding the top left corner. The assist comes from Marc Cucurella, who delivered a perfectly timed through ball.

38':

GOAL Chelsea: Cole Palmer (Chelsea) scores!

Cole Palmer scores goal number 7 in the competition (14 matches) Cole Palmer scores goal number 52 for his team (115 matches)

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Chelsea 3. Tolu Arokodare scores for Wolverhampton Wanderers with a right-footed shot from close range into the bottom right corner. The assist comes from Adam Armstrong, who headed the ball after a corner kick.

54':

GOAL Wolverhampton: Tolu Arokodare (Wolverhampton) scores!

Tolu Arokodare scores goal number 2 in the competition (21 matches)

71':

Opportunity wasted! Yerson Mosquera of Wolverhampton Wanderers headed the ball from the center of the box, but it narrowly missed the target. The assist came from Angel Gomes, who delivered a precise cross.

87':

Opportunity wasted. Pedro Neto of Chelsea attempted a header from the center of the box but sent it wide to the left. The assist came from Enzo Fernández, who delivered a well-placed through ball.

998':

The referee whistles for the end of the match