Cole Palmer delivered a stunning first-half hat-trick as Chelsea defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at Molineux on Saturday.
Chelsea took control early in the match when João Pedro was brought down in the penalty area by Matt Doherty. Palmer stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick to give the visitors the lead inside 15 minutes.
Wolves goalkeeper José Sá tried to keep his side in the contest with key saves from Enzo Fernández and Malo Gusto, but Chelsea continued to dominate.
The hosts’ problems worsened when Yerson Mosquera committed another foul on João Pedro inside the box. Palmer once again made no mistake from the penalty spot, scoring his second of the afternoon and recording his 50th goal in 100 appearances for Chelsea.
Just three minutes later, the midfielder completed his hat-trick, finishing from close range after a cross from Marc Cucurella to put Chelsea firmly in control before halftime.
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Wolves showed more urgency after the break and nearly pulled one back when Mateus Mané struck the post with a curling effort. Their persistence paid off when debutant Adam Armstrong provided an assist for Tolu Arokodare, who scored from close range to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
Despite the goal, Wolves could not build momentum for a comeback. Pedro Neto missed a late opportunity, and Chelsea saw out the match comfortably.
The win keeps Chelsea in fifth place on the Premier League table, just one point off the final Champions League qualification spot. Wolves, however, remain deep in relegation trouble after suffering their 19th league defeat of the season.
