Noni Madueke hat-trick fires Enzo Maresca to first Premier League win as Chelsea thrash Wolves in eight-goal thriller

Noni Madueke scored three of Chelsea's six-goal haul at Molineux as Enzo Maresca's men overcame Wolves in a 6-2 win. The Blues dominated the second half after the sides went into half-time level at 2-2, but three goals in the space of 14 minutes for Madueke blew the hosts away in the second half. Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Joao Felix also got on the scoresheet for The Blues.

A hat-trick from Noni Madueke helped fire Chelsea to their first win of the new Premier League season in a 6-2 victory over Wolves.

The winger became the pantomime villain at Molineux after posting an Instagram story late on Saturday night decsribing "everything about Wolverhampton as 's***". The story was swiftly deleted, but Madueke was booed by the home fans throughout the game.

An absorbing first half saw four goals shared between the sides. Nicolas Jackson nodded the visitors in front with a free header at the back post, dampening the lively Molineux atmosphere after just two minutes.

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Twenty-five minutes later, the hosts deservedly levelled the game after a powerful run from full back Rayan Ait-Nouri was finished by Matheus Cunha, neatly slotting past Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.

A beautiful lobbed finish from recently crowned PFA Young Player of the Season Cole Palmer restored The Blues' advantage on the stroke of half-time. A long ball up the field by Sanchez started the counter-attack, with a smart flick from Jackson setting up Palmer to lob Jose Sa from 25 yards.

It would not be the final action of the half however, as Jorgen Strand Larsen bagged his first Wolves goal three minutes into first half stoppage time. A Wolves free-kick was flicked onto the outstretched leg of the Norwegian, who finished smartly to give Wolves a deserved equaliser before the break.

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The second half would see four more goals, but unlike the first half, they all ended up in the same net. Madueke scored his first after his shot from the right side of the penalty area deflected off the calf of Ait Nouri and past Sa.

The winger doubled his tally 10 minutes later after Palmer slipped in the 22-year-old from the edge of the box, and he finished well to extend Chelsea's advantage before the hour.

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The goal came from a similar angle to his first, but there was no need for a deflection this time.

Five minutes later, Madueke had his hat-trick. It must have felt like deja-vu for the Wolves defence as the forward scored from a similar angle to his first two goals, once again being assisted by Palmer after an overlapping run.

Joao Felix made it six on 80 minutes, scoring on his second Chelsea debut after recently completeing his permanent move from Atletico Madrid. The Wolves defence was ripped apart once again as Pedro Neto, signed from Wolves this month, set up the forward who finished well after his compatriot's pullback.

Madueke would apologise in his post match interview, stating "I just want to apologise to anyone I might have offended.

"It was a human mistake, an accident. It wasn't meant to be out on my socials. I'm sure Wolverhampton is a lovely town, I'm just sorry. In terms of the boos, I expected it. But you have to learn under that type of pressure."

The winger also spoke about his growing relationship with star man Palmer.

"He is cold and I am fire so it mixes well," he added. "He has the ability to always play a pass at the right time. I like to get the ball in space, beat people and make things happen, so luckily today it worked."

The result sees Chelsea secure their first league win under new boss Enzo Maresca, who - according to Opta - became the first Premier League boss in history to see his side score six goals in a debut away fixture.

Maresca's side travel to face Servette in their UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier on Thursday evening before hosting Crystal Palace in their final league game before the international break on Sunday.

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