Chelsea 3-0 Wolves

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Chelsea 3-0 Wolves

Premier League match report: Wolves looked utterly bereft of fight as Chelsea handed them their ninth defeat of the season, making it difficult to see why Rob Edwards is prepared to leave Middlesbrough to take the vacant head coach’s job at Molineux. Jacob Steinberg reports from Stamford Bridge …

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Updated at 17.18 EST

Malo Gusto: “They were compact in the first half, we struggled to find space between the lines,” says the Chelsea right-back, who scored his first ever senior goal tonight. “The second half was better, we found each other more easily and that’s why we scored the first goal. After that it was easier for the team.”

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Joao Pedro: “To play against a back five is always difficult, the key today was numbers in the box,” said the Brazilian in an interview with Sky Sports. “If you put numbers in the box the ball will fall for us sometimes. It’s tough.

On his compatriot Estevao: “Everyone knows Estevao is a talent, when he came on he always wants to show his ability. Today again he gave the assist to me, I’m very happy for him because he’s adapted very quickly. We’re here to help him. I’m on the pitch to help the team. I’m happy to score, it’s important for my position but also to help the team.”

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Full time: Chelsea 3-0 Wolves

Premier League: Booed off at the break having failed to break the deadlock despite their crushing dominance, Chelsea got their act together in the second half and won courtesy of goals from Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto.

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90+3 min: Even Sam Johnstone in the Wolves goal appears to be trying to run down the clock, dawdling over a kick-out and more or less imploring Andrew Kitchen to blow the final whistle. The referee obliges and Chelsea move up to second in the Premier League table. Wolves remain anchored to the bottom, eight points from safety.

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90+2 min: Chelsea win a late corner courtesy of Jamie Gittens. Estavao takes it short as his side run down the clock.

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89 min: The number of Premier League teams who have avoided relegation after acquiring just two points from their opening 10 games of a Premier League season: 0.

The number of points Wolves will have after their opening 11 games of this Premier League season: 2.

No pressure, Rob.

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Updated at 16.54 EST

85 min: With very good reason, Mateus Mane looks incredulous as he’s blatantly bundled over over on the edge of the Chelsea box by Chalobah but has a free-kick awarded against him because he landed on the ball and touched it with his hands. Moments later, Munetsi drags a low shot from distance narrowly wide of the left upright.

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83 min: Chelsea double-substitution: Jamie Gittens and Andrey Santos on for Enzo Fernandez and Joao Pedro.

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81 min: Chelsea corner. Reece James sends the ball into the penalty area as the Stamford Bridge stewards take up their end-of-match positions. Wolves struggle to clear the corner and Estevao sends a cross from the left fizzing towards Guiu. The Spaniard is unable to connect and steer the ball goalwards.

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79 min: Marshall Munetsi is booked for a foul on Joao Pedro, bodychecking the Brazilian while simultaneously stamping on his instep. Naughty.

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78 min: Joao Pedro’s low shot is saved by Sam Johnstone, who lets the ball squirm under his body. Marc Guiu pounces to try and poke it over the line from close range but hits the foot of the post.

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77 min: Chelsea double-substitution: Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto make way for Reece James and Mark Guiu.

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GOAL! Chelsea 3-0 Wolves (Pedro Neto 73)

Chelsea score again! Some excellent, lightning quick play down the left flank takes Alejandro Garnacho clear of two Wolves defenders and he squares the ball for Pedro Neto, whose task from six yards could not be more simple. The former Wolves favourite doesn’t think twice about celebrating against the team with whom he made his name in England. He’s delighted!

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Updated at 16.37 EST

70 min: Wolves double-substitution: Mateus Mane and Marshall Munetsi on for Hwang Hee-chan and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.A product of the youth team coached by interim manager James Collins, it’s only Mane’s second senior appearance for Wolves.

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68 min: Estevao and Malo Gusto combine well down the right but Santiago Bueno charges out of defence to take the ball away from the rampaging Chelsea right back before he can get a cross in.

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GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Wolves (Joao Pedro 65)

Chelsea double their lead! Only on the pitch a matter of moments, Estevao picks up the ball on the right, jinks this way and that to get a yard on two defenders and plays a cross inside to Joao Pedro. The unmarked Brazilian swings his right boot to fire the ball past Sam Johnstone from about eight yards out.

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Updated at 16.31 EST

64 min: Chelsea win a corner which they waste. Liam Delap’s number goes up and he is replaced by Estevao, who has spent the last five minutes on the touchline feigning interest in a tactics tutorial conducted by a member of Chelsea’s coaching stap with iPad in hand.

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Updated at 16.26 EST

62 min: Strand Larsen plays the ball wide to Belegarde, whose return cross is headed clear by Chalobah. Somebody in the Wolves dug-out seems to have flicked a switch or put 50p in the meter because since going a goal down they’ve turned into 1970s-era Brazil.

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60 min: A Ladislav Krejci pass out of defence in intercepted by Joao Pedro but Wolves immediately win the ball back. Moises Caicedo is booked for an over-zealous challenge on Joao Gomes.

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58 min: Hugo Bueno drills a low ball into the Chelsea penalty area from the left, trying to pick out Jorgen Strand Larsen. The ball is hoofed clear. Like the Stamford Bridge crowd, the players of Wolves have also perked up and are playing their best attacking football of this game. It’s a low bar, mind.

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55 min: The Stamford Bridge crowd have perked up considerably, having seen their team take the lead. They are further enthused when Trevoh Chalobah channels his inner Gandalf and stands firm in the face of a promising dart down the inside left by Hwang Hee-chan with the ball at his feet: “Thou shalt not pass!”

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GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Wolves (Gusto 51)

Chelsea take the lead! It’s been in the post but it comes from a most unlikely source. Alejandro Garnacho sends an excellent cross from the left towards the far post, where an unmarked Gusto nods past a dithering Sam Johnstone from close range. It’s his first goal as a senior professional footballer!

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Updated at 16.18 EST

50 min: Chelsea win a corner, which is played short. Whatever they had planned goes awry, unless their plan was to get the ball back to the feet of their goalkeeper Robert Sanchez as quickly as possible. The crowd make no secret of their displeasure at this lack of derring-do.

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49 min: Andre is booked for a shoulder barge on Pedro Neto, picking up his third yellow card of the season. It’s a fair kop – he made no attempt to get the ball as the Chelsea winger galloped past him.

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48 min: Wolves win a throw-in deep in Chelsea territory and within seconds the ball is back at the feet of their own goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone. Make of that what you will.

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Second half: Chelsea 0-0 Wolves

46 min: Play resumes with Chelsea on the ball and no changes in personnel on either side. Pedro Neto does well to beat his man down the left and drill a low cross towards the near post but a tightly marked Liam Delap is unable to steer a shot on target with his back to goal and from a very tight angle.

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Chelsea 0-0 Wolves

Half-time: Well, now. Quite how Wolves have made it to half-time without coneding is anyone’s guess but they’re still in this game, albeit hanging by a thread. Sam Johnstone has made a couple of good saves to keep them in the match and Chelsea have had a corner cleared off the line, but the home fans are not happy. They boo their players off the pitch with the scores still level after 45 minutes.

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Updated at 15.57 EST

45+3 min: Joao Gomes concedes a fre-kick about 35 yards from his own goal with a foul on Joao Pedro. The ball’s slipped short to Malo Gusto, who lofts into the Wolves penalty area. It’s headed clear and referee Andrew Kitchen blows for half-time.

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44 min: Joao Pedro drags a shot wide of the left upright from the edge of the area after a blocked shot breaks his way. He should have hit the target and doesn’t he know it? The Brazilian sends a volley of loud ‘effs” and “jeffs” sailing into the night sky over Stamford Bridge.

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42 min: A low Hugo Bueno cross from the left is intercepted by Gusto, who gets enough on the ball to prevent it makoing it’s way to the six-yard box but not enough on it to put it out for a corner. Excellent defending, I suppose.

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