Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Cole Palmer goal proves decisive

Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Cole Palmer goal proves decisive

Chelsea moved themselves into the top four of the Premier League with a well deserved 2-1 victory over Newcastle a Stamford Bridge.

The Blues dominated and controlled possession in the first half with Eddie Howe’s Magpies looking uncharacteristically uneasy as the match went on. Cole Palmer, always eager to impress, had the ball in the back of the net with six minutes only for the goal to be ruled out for an offside in the build-up.

However, it didn’t take Chelsea long before they went ahead. Palmer released Pedro Neto down the left wing and he squared to Nicolas Jackson for a tap-in after a quick counter attack.

Alexander Isak managed to pull one back with an awkwardly taken equaliser to send the teams into the break on level terms but it was Palmer who had the last word. Less than two minutes after the restart he slotted past Nick Pope to secure the points for the hosts.

Relive the action with our live blog below:

Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE

  • Chelsea defeat Newcastle in the Premier League

  • 90+2’ NO PENALTY! Spot kick overturned after VAR intervention (CHE 2-1 NEW)

  • 90’ PENALTY! Nkunku brought down by Burn in the box (CHE 2-1 NEW)

  • 47’ GOAL! Palmer sends Chelsea ahead (CHE 2-1 NEW)

  • 32’ GOAL! Isak pokes visitors level (CHE 1-1 NEW)

  • 18’ GOAL! Jackson slots Chelsea into the lead (CHE 1-0 NEW)

  • 6’ DISALLOWED! Palmer finds the back of the net but drifted offside in the build-up (CHE 0-0 NEW)

Chelsea FC 2 – 1 Newcastle United FC

Palmer speaks to Sky Sports

16:23 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer is first to speak to Sky, and he says that Chelsea “don’t mind proving people wrong”.

“I try and go out there and play my game. That is what I do. I always try to enjoy my football game by game.

I try to not put pressure on myself. Many people on the outside try to put pressure on me to replicate what I did last season in terms of numbers.

“It is my second season playing football and I am still very, very young.”

Regarding Chelsea and fighting for top four, he said: “We just try to play our own game, block the noise out from the outside. We don’t mind proving people wrong.

“We are all young and we have a top coach, but there are improvements still.”

FT: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

16:15 , Chris Wilson

That result puts Chelsea back into the top four. They sit on 17 points, one behind Villa, and are above Arsenal on goal difference ahead of the Gunners’ match against Liverpool.

Newcastle remain in 12th, with 12 points from their first nine matches.

Elsewhere in the Premier League

16:12 , Chris Wilson

Two more results to report from the Premier League.

In south London, Crystal Palace beat Spurs 1-0 thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta, while in east London, West Ham won 2-1 against Manchester United courtesy of a late penalty from Bowen.

FT: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

16:08 , Chris Wilson

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FULL-TIME! Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

16:04 , Chris Wilson

An entertaining match comes to an end in west London. Chelsea take a deserved three points at home after a game that was close overall, though they certainly deserved it more than Newcastle.

Chelsea move into the top four once again!

FULL-TIME! Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

16:03 , Chris Wilson

FULL-TIME! The referee brings it to an end!

The corner comes in but it’s cleared and Chelsea take the three points!

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

16:02 , Chris Wilson

97 mins

Maybe time for one more chance for the away side as Pope has the ball in the Newcastle half and punts it forward. Good defending from Cacicedo though.

Newcastle win the throw but they can’t find the gaps. They lump it forward again and Willock plays it back across goal – and James comes in with a fine defensive header to clear it over his own goal!

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

16:01 , Chris Wilson

96 mins

Into the final of the allotted minutes, but there’ll be a couple of extra minutes due to the VAR check for the penalty.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:59 , Chris Wilson

94 mins

Newcastle have a chance to build an attack but it’s all too disjointed. Dan Burn fizzes in a hopeful cutback but there’s nobody there.

Nkunku leads the counter but the whistle goes for offside.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:58 , Chris Wilson

93 mins

There’s still time for the away side here but they have to get a move on, and it’s Chelsea who still have most of the ball. A chance for Newcastle here though as Nkunku concedes a free-kick and is booked.

Maresca is booked for his reaction too!

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:56 , Chris Wilson

93 mins

So Newcastle get a second chance to take something, but will they capitalise?

Sean Longstaff was booked for dissent in the meantime.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:56 , Chris Wilson

91 mins

PENALTY OVERTURNED!

It was certainly fleeting contact from Burn, and Simon Hooper goes to the screen before overturning his decision.

We’re into the second of six minutes of added time here.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:54 , Chris Wilson

90 mins

PENALTY TO CHELSEA!

Chelsea burst forward and Nkunku surges into the box. Burn has his hands all over him and he drags the Frenchman down as he checked back inside – it’s given, but there’s a VAR check.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:53 , Chris Wilson

88 mins

Chelsea are closing the game out and they win a goal kick after the ball forward runs out of play.

Newcastle make two changes as Osula and Kelly replace Hall and Joelinton.

Another goal in east London – Jarrod Bowen has converted a penalty to put West Ham 2-1 up against Manchester United.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:51 , Chris Wilson

87 mins

Half a chance for Chelsea as Joelinton is dispossessed on the edge of his own box, but Nkunku dwells on the ball for too long and his shot is blocked.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:50 , Chris Wilson

85 mins

Now Sanchez is booked for delaying a restart.

Into the final five minutes of normal time and Newcastle are throwing themselves forward , but Chelsea do look fairly comfortable.

Another attack breaks down as Neto runs it into Pope.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:47 , Chris Wilson

83 mins

Newcastle lump a long free-kick forward but they’re penalised for a foul from Burn.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:46 , Chris Wilson

81 mins

CHANCE!

Newcastle’s turn to build patiently now, but they can’t find an opening and Palmer wins possession. He exchanges passes with Nkunku in the box before laying it off to Mudryk. The Ukrainian is in plenty of space but he can only fire his shot straight at Pope!

Will Chelsea live to rue that missed opportunity?

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:44 , Chris Wilson

80 mins

Chelsea aren’t committing as many men forward now, and are trying to take the sting out of the Newcastle attack.

They build patiently, exchanging passes in midfield before the attack breaks down.

In east London, Casemiro has levelled things for Manchester United against West Ham.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:42 , Chris Wilson

77 mins

Newcastle have some real momentum now but they’re penalised for a foul on Gusto in the Chelsea box.

The home side make two more changes – Gusto makes way for Marc Cucurella, and Christopher Nkunku replaces Nicolas Jackson.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:40 , Chris Wilson

75 mins

CLOSE! How have Newcastle nit scored here!?

Newcastle knock the long ball forward and Isak wrestles free from the challenge from Fofana to win the ball. He’s 1-v-1 and skips past Sanchez, but the angle is too tight to hit it. He tries to skip past another challenge to get the shot away, but he’s tackled!

Joelinton was free in the box, unmarked, to tap in, but Isak didn’t square it! Had to be 2-2 that.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:38 , Chris Wilson

74 mins

Newcastle have definitely improved since making their substitutions, but only one chance of note for them so far. They’ve found a way back into it though, for sure.

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Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:36 , Chris Wilson

72 mins

Enzo Fernandez comes on for Romeo Lavia.

In other news, West Ham have gone 1-0 up against Manchester United thanks to a goal from Crysencio Summerville. Crystal Palace still lead Spurs at Selhurst Park too.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:35 , Chris Wilson

69 mins

CHANCE!

Newcastle come forward and Joelinton releases Willock down the left. He hangs up the cross and Isak heads it towards goal, but James is there to clear it almost off the line!

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:32 , Chris Wilson

67 mins

Both sides make subs as Madueke makes way for Mykhailo Mudryk for Chelsea, and Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff come on for Miguel Almiron, Harvey Barnes and Sandro Tonali.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:30 , Chris Wilson

66 mins

Chelsea do look very comfortable at the moment. The away side look like they’re missing Anthony Gordon here.

Hall wins a free-kick near the Chelsea box after Madueke pulls him back. The England winger is booked for the challenge.

Schar lines it up but he curls his effort over.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:28 , Chris Wilson

64 mins

Barnes tries to lead the Newcastle attack as he’s fed the sweeping pass from Guimaraes, but he’s dispossessed.

Tonali is the next player booked for delaying the restart.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:26 , Chris Wilson

62 mins

Palmer feeds Neto down the left, but Chelsea are forced to work it backwards and Palmer’s ball into the box is caught by Pope.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:25 , Chris Wilson

59 mins

Chelsea attack again but the header bounces over and the goal kick is given, though it should have been corner.

Newcaslte try and launch an attack but Hall’s ball forward is cleared.

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Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:22 , Chris Wilson

57 mins

Newcastle have their first real attack of the second half and it’s a dangerous one, as Barnes threads it to the overlapping Isak. He clips a ball towards the back post but it’s great defending from James to head away, almost on his own goal line.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:20 , Chris Wilson

55 mins

Lavia is booked for delaying the restart, and there’s a bit of a lull in attacking activity here as Madueke’s through ball goes out for a goal kick.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:17 , Chris Wilson

54 mins

It feels like a crucial point in the game now, as Chelsea could essentially win it here if they keep this up.

Gusto fires a shot well over, but Newcastle look very ragged and disjointed at the moment.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:16 , Chris Wilson

51 mins

Another Chelsea counter ends with Madueke hitting a weak shot at Pope. The home side are dominating once again though.

Newcastle look a bit shocked out there.

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:14 , Chris Wilson

49 mins

So the home side are ahead once more – can they keep their lead (or even extend it) this time?

They almost do, as the cross comes in from Madueke. Neto rises early and gets above Livramento, but he crashes his header against the post!

GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

15:11 , Chris Wilson

47 mins

GOAL! And the home side lead within a couple of minutes of kick-off!

Newcastle lose possession on halfway and Caicedo threads it to Palmer. He drives towards the box and hits a low shot to the near post – Pope gets a hand to it but he can’t keep it out!

KICK-OFF! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

15:09 , Chris Wilson

The away side get the second half underway in West London.

HALF-TIME! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

15:08 , Chris Wilson

The teams are coming back out at Stamford Bridge, so we’re moments away from the second half.

HALF-TIME! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

15:07 , Chris Wilson

And back at Stamford Bridge, we have an intriguing second half ahead of us between Chelsea and Newcastle.

The home side certainly dominated large parts of the first half and looked the more dangerous of the two teams. This dominance showed as Nicolas Jackson put the home side ahead within the first 20 minutes.

But the home defence switched off for a moment to allow Isak in to equalise, and since then it has been a little more equal.

Chelsea have certainly been the better of the two sides though, and they’ll fancy their chances of grabbing a win here.

Both sides will certainly need to be more clinical, and more solid at the back, if they are to come away with a win though.

HALF-TIME! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

15:03 , Chris Wilson

A note from around London – West Ham and Manchester United are currently level at the break, while Crystal Palace are defending a precarious lead at home to Spurs.

HAL-TIME! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

15:00 , Chris Wilson

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HALF-TIME! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:54 , Chris Wilson

52 mins

HALF-TIME!

Probably the last chance of the half as Caicedo and Gusto combine to foul Barnes. Newcastle can swing in a dangerous set-piece here – Hall delivers it but Burn can only direct a header up into the air, and Sanchez collects it.

The referee blows the whistle and the two teams head down the tunnel level after the first half.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:51 , Chris Wilson

50 mins

Isak is briefly down after being caught by Fofana, but both are fine. Up the other end, Chelsea are penalised as Jackson drifted offside.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:50 , Chris Wilson

49 mins

Sanchez comes off his line well to deal with a dangerous long ball forward.

Hall picks out Barnes with a clipped ball forwards but Gusto does well to recover the ball.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:49 , Chris Wilson

47 mins

Chelsea win another corner as Livramento heads Gusto’s cross behind. James delivers the set-piece – and it’s headed behind for another.

Palmer will deliver this one – and Pope punches it behind!

One more in-swinger from Palmer – it’s a dangerous delivery but Pope catches it well.

Worth noting that Newcastle have neither scored nor conceded from a corner so far this season.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:46 , Chris Wilson

45 mins

Shouts around Stamford Bridge as Guimaraes avoids a foul after sliding in on Neto.

There’ll be SEVEN minutes of added time at the end of the first half.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:45 , Chris Wilson

44 mins

Livramento does well to win a foul from Neto, and there’ll be some brief respite for the away side. At the other end, Colwill is calm enough to play a pass back to Sanchez to clear.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:43 , Chris Wilson

42 mins

Barnes leads the Newcastle counter and he feels he’s fouled, but it was a good challenge from Lavia.

Moments after, Burn has his hands on Madueke as he looks to latch onto a long ball forward, but the referee doesn’t give the foul.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:42 , Chris Wilson

41 mins

Chelsea are finishing the half in the ascendancy here. Neto – who’s moved onto the right wing for now – hits a deflected shot that has wrong-footed Pope, but the ‘keeper adjusts his feet to make a good save.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:41 , Chris Wilson

39 mins

Another promising Chelsea attack as Palmer shifts it wide to Gusto before Neto has a shot deflected over for a corner.

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Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:37 , Chris Wilson

36 mins

Caicedo does well to win the ball back near the Newcastle box. It’s given back to him by Jackson, and the Ecuadorian blasts an effort over from outside the box.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:36 , Chris Wilson

34 mins

So, despite some promising attacking play from Chelsea, they find themselves level. It was a well-worked goal from Newcastle, if not the prettiest.

In other news – Palace lead Spurs 1-0 after a strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:34 , Chris Wilson

33 mins

GOAL GIVEN!

Plenty of tension as VAR takes a while to look if Isak had drifted…but he’s played onside by Fofana’s right boot!

Newcastle are level!

GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle

14:33 , Chris Wilson

32 mins

GOAL! The visitors are level!

Tonali and Joelinton exchange passes near halfway before the Italian slides a pass across to Harvey Barnes. The England man plays in Livramento on the overlap and he squares it for Isak to tap in!

Hang on though…it looks like there could be an offside!

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:31 , Chris Wilson

31 mins

Half a chance as Isak’s glancing header at the front post is well over.

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:31 , Chris Wilson

30 mins

The match has certainly calmed down a bit but you do get the sense that Chelsea could score whenever they attack.

Newcastle launch a long free-kick from their own half, which ends with Tonali winning a corner as Palmer charged down the cross.

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:29 , Chris Wilson

27 mins

Plenty of space in midfield for Chelsea when they look to attack, but it’s Newcastle who have a chance now.

They pour men forward and Isak finds Barnes with the cutback, but the shot is blocked. The away side attack again, but two shots are blocked from within the box and Chelsea counter to win a corner.

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:26 , Chris Wilson

25 mins

Good work from Caicedo as he receives a poorly judged pass from Sanchez but wriggles free to release Palmer.

The home side come forward again, and Neto beats Livramento down the left and manages to keep the ball in play, but Gusto can’t get a clean connection with the ball at the back post.

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:24 , Chris Wilson

23 mins

Madueke’s cross is headed down by Jackson but he can’t direct it back to a Chelsea man. The home side are dominating here.

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:23 , Chris Wilson

23 mins

Chelsea launch another attack and Jackson’s pass forward deflects into the path of Neto, who curls an effort into the gloves of Pope.

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:22 , Chris Wilson

22 mins

A lull in activity at the Bridge ends with Palmer drawing a foul and a yellow card as Schar trips him.

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:21 , Chris Wilson

19 mins

Newcastle look to answer straight away as Guimaraes finds Almiron with a chipped ball into the box, but the Paraguayan can’t get his effort on target.

GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:20 , Chris Wilson

18 mins

The home side are definitely ahead now!

It all comes from a Newcastle cross too as the ball in is cleared and it falls to Palmer. On the turn, he threads a brilliant pass to the overlapping Neto and the Portuguese beats Schar down the wing, before lifting his head and finding Jackson unmarked in the area. The striker slots a simple side-foot past Pope for 1-0!

Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:18 , Chris Wilson

17 mins

Good work from Fofana to shepherd the ball and head it back to Sanchez. He’s looking alright now.

Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:17 , Chris Wilson

15 mins

Huge shouts for a penalty from Newcastle as Guimaraes goes down as he burst into the box, but the referee waves it away! VAR will check it presumably…

No matter anyway, as he was well outside of the area.

No goals (except disallowed ones) in the first 15 in any of the three 2pm matches.

Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:15 , Chris Wilson

14 mins

Palmer’s ball forward is blocked but he has a second chance and feeds through Neto down the left. The former Wolves man wins a corner.

James swings in the corner but it’s good defending from Hall to make the block.

Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:14 , Chris Wilson

12 mins

Quite a lengthy bit of treatment for Fofana but he walks off and he looks like he’ll be okay to carry on. It looks like an issue with his knee .

Newcastle win a corner after Colwill deals with a ball forward to Joelinton, and a poor delivery ends with a Chelsea throw.

On second look, Fofana still looks uncomfortable out there.

Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:11 , Chris Wilson

10 mins

Hall is dispossessed by Madueke and now it’s the turn of the home side to have possession. Once again, they don’t look in any particular rush in the opening stages.

Newcastle mount a counter that ends with Guimaraes hitting a deflected shot that Sanchez collects.

Wesley Fofana is briefly down after flying into a late challenge to try and stop the counter. He receives a yellow card for the tackle too.

14:08 , Chris Wilson

7 mins

James clips a inviting early ball over the defence but Pope rushes out to clear. Nice idea from the Chelsea captain.

Newcastle have their first bit of sustained possession just into the Chelsea half, but it’s a little pedestrian at the moment.

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DISALLOWED GOAL! Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:06 , Chris Wilson

6 mins

The goal is indeed disallowed as Palmer had stepped slightly offside. A second chance for Newcastle – that was far too easy for the home side.

GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

14:05 , Chris Wilson

4 mins

GOAL! The home side are ahead within four minutes!

James plays a pass inside and Jackson turns his man all too easily before sliding in a pass into the path of Palmer. He bursts into the box and slides a low effort across Pope and into the far corner.

Hold on though – it looks like Palmer has strayed offside…

Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:04 , Chris Wilson

3 mins

Colwill is alert to head away Isak’s clipped cross, before Tonali is penalised for being offside.

Chelsea go on the counter and it falls to Madueke again after good work from Jackson, but the England winger can only drive a shot right at Pope.

Worth noting that Reece James is starting at left-back today, with Gusto in his favoured position.

Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle

14:02 , Chris Wilson

1 min

Just two points separate these two sides at kick-off, though there have been very different atmospheres around the two clubs of late.

Chelsea have the first meaningful attack as Madueke makes some space before his cross is collected by Pope.

Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE

14:00 , Chris Wilson

KICK-OFF!

The home side get us underway in west London.

Newcastle have gone just over 600 minutes without a goal from open play – can they change that in a difficult game at Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE

13:57 , Chris Wilson

Both sides are starting to emerge from the tunnel at Stamford Bridge, so we’ll be underway soon.

Chelsea v Newcastle LIVE

13:55 , Chris Wilson

We’re five minutes away from kick-off in west London.

There are 2pm kick-offs in the east and south of the capital today too – West Ham host Manchester United and Crystal Palace welcome Tottenham.

Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE

13:50 , Chris Wilson

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Chelsea vs Newcastle head-to-head

13:47 , Chris Wilson

These two sides have met a total of 176 times, with the first meeting dating back to 1907. Overall, Chelsea have won 80, Newcastle have won 56, and 40 have ended as draws.

Chelsea won 3-2 the last time the two teams met – in this fixture last season, when Chelsea won 3-2 in March.

Newcaslte beat the Blues 4-1 at St. James’ Park 11 months ago.

Howe on Gordon

13:44 , Chris Wilson

Eddie Howe says Anthony Gordon felt a problem with his groin yesterday and so has travelled to London but won’t feature. He’s not sure how long the England winger will be out.

Match facts

13:40 , Chris Wilson

Newcastle have won two of their last four Premier League games against Chelsea, drawing one and losing one. This is as many wins as they had in their previous 13 (D1 L10).

After winning three of their first four Premier League games this season, Newcastle have since failed to win their last four, drawing two and losing two. The Magpies last went five matches without winning in the league in March 2023.

Eddie Howe has won two of his Premier League games against Chelsea in charge of Newcastle – only Alan Pardew (four wins) has beaten the Blues more in the competition for the Magpies.

Howe also beat the Blues four times while in charge of Bournemouth and could be the third manager to win 3+ Premier League games against them with two different clubs, after Kenny Dalglish (Blackburn/Liverpool) and David Moyes (Everton/West Ham).

Enzo Maresca explains why ‘slow’ learner Mykhailo Mudryk is starting to prove worth for Chelsea

13:35 , Chris Wilson

Enzo Maresca admitted Mykhailo Mudryk has been a slower learner than his Chelsea teammates but praised the winger’s performance in his side’s 4-1 win over Panathinaikos.

It was an efficient yet thorough display in Athens to maintain the visitors’ perfect start in the Conference League and the Ukrainian’s contribution was key, scoring the second goal with a brave header as well as setting up two goals for Joao Felix.

Maresca previously challenged Mudryk to seize upon his selection in the starting XI and prove the worth of his £88million transfer fee, and those words were heeded as the 23-year-old had his strongest game of the season in the Olympic Stadium.

Enzo Maresca explains why ‘slow’ learner Mykhailo Mudryk is starting to prove worth

Match facts

13:30 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea’s last three Premier League defeats have come against last season’s top-three sides (0-5 vs Arsenal in April, 0-2 vs Man City in August, 1-2 vs Liverpool last weekend). The Blues are unbeaten in 19 games against all other teams (W13 D6), scoring 54 goals across these matches.

Chelsea have named the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League this season – 23 years, 220 days. They are the only team in Premier League history to get eight games into a season without using anyone over the age of 27.

Cole Palmer has 18 goals and five assists in his last 14 Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea, while Nicolas Jackson has been involved in 13 goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances (nine goals, four assists).

Across the Premier League

13:20 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea’s match is just one of the important matches near the top end of the table today, as Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates at 4.30pm GMT.

Much has been made of Arsneal’s potential injury woes, but can Arteta get a solid performance out of a depleted side after a few poor results of late?

There’s also an additional 2pm kick-off today, as Manchester United travel to West Ham hoping to ease some of the pressure on Erik ten Hag. They currently sit 13th in the league on 11 points, one place and one point behind Newcastle.

13:15 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea have lost just one of their 29 Premier League home games against Newcastle, winning 21 and drawing seven. Their last loss against the Magpies was a 2-0 defeat in May 2012 – a game fondly remembered by some for a brilliant brace from Papiss Cisse.

Eddie Howe: “We have to have a perception of achievement and growing as a football club”

13:10 , Chris Wilson

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said that his side “need to score goals”, after suffering a small run of games without finding the net.

“It’s been at the heart of everything we’ve done since we’ve been here, to be an attacking team, and we certainly haven’t lost the intent to attack or score.

“I’d just love to see us be free and take those chances we create.

“We have to have a perception of achievement and growing as a football club to keep not just the so-called big names happy, but everyone happy and going in a forward direction.

“I’ve seen it very quickly go the other way. Myself and everyone connected at the club has a big job to try to keep that momentum positive.”

Howe also praised Anthony Gordon as “such a talent” after the winger signed a new deal at the club.

Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea lack ‘proper leader’ as he asks for ‘more personality’ from Reece James

13:05 , Chris Wilson

Enzo Maresca has told Reece James he expects more personality from Chelsea’s captain as the head coach admitted his squad is without a natural leader.

James made his first appearance of the season in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last weekend following a lengthy injury lay-off and did not travel with the side that beat Panathinaikos in Athens on Thursday.

The last two campaigns have been blighted by knee and hamstring problems for the 24-year-old but he was nevertheless appointed club skipper by previous boss Mauricio Pochettino last August.

“I spoke with him and I expect from him more in terms of leadership inside the changing room,” said Maresca.

“He’s on the way, he’s doing well, he’s progressing but I expect more.”

Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea lack ‘proper leader’ as he makes Reece James request

Team news

12:58 , Chris Wilson

Newcastle have made two changes to the side that lost at home to Brighton last week, and both changes come on the wings.

On the left, Miguel Almiron replaces Jacob Murphy, while Anthony Gordon – who is not in today’s squad – drops out in place of Harvey Barnes.

Team news

12:52 , Chris Wilson

Enzo Maresca has made tow changes to the side that slipped to a narrow defeat against Liverpool last week.

In defence, Wesley Fofana replaces Tosin Adarabioyo, while in midfield, Pedro Neto comes onto the left wing in place of Jadon Sancho.

Line-ups

12:47 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Gusto; Lavia, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.

Subs: Jorgensen, Tosin, Veiga, Cucurella, Enzo, Mudryk, Sancho, Felix, Nkunku.

Newcastle XI: Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Barnes.

Subs: Odysseas, Ruddy, Krafth, Osula, Murphy, Kelly, Willock, Longstaff, Miley.

Chelsea are making progress at last — but a crucial task still faces Enzo Maresca

12:40 , Chris Wilson

The previous time Chelsea lost to Liverpool they were labelled the “blue billion-pound bottle jobs”. Eight months on, there was a more flattering appraisal, and from the victor. “If I would be a Chelsea manager, I would say if we can play like this at Anfield, we can compete for a top-four position,” said Arne Slot. This wasn’t a repeat of the Carabao Cup final, the extra-time failure against Jurgen Klopp’s kids, or their last trip to Anfield, the 4-1 walloping in January.

There was more respectability in a reverse. “We don’t like to lose, but if we have to, we choose this way,” said Enzo Maresca, who pronounced himself “proud but also upset”. The Italian may have been exaggerating when he said: “We controlled most of the game”. Slot’s verdict on his 2-1 win may have been fairer. “In an ideal world, we would have outplayed them completely but it was an equal game,” he said.

Chelsea are making progress at last — but a crucial task still faces Enzo Maresca

Predicted line-ups

12:30 , Chris Wilson

Here are The Independent’s predicted line-ups – we’ll have concrete team news at around 12.45pm.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Gusto; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson

Newcastle XI: Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Joelinton, Guimaraes, Tonali; Barnes, Isak, Gordon.

Team news

12:25 , Chris Wilson

Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana are both back available for Chelsea after serving suspensions, while Reece James returned from injury last weekend.

Newcastle, meanwhile, remain without Callum Wilson after a set-back in the striker’s recovery, with Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier and Jamaal Lascelles also sidelined.

When is Chelsea vs Newcastle?

12:20 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea vs Newcastle is due to kick off at 2pm GMT on Sunday 27 October at Stamford Bridge.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage from 1pm GMT. Subscribers can stream via Sky Go.

Is Chelsea v Newcastle on TV today? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch

Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE

12:10 , Chris Wilson

Chelsea will hope to bounce back from defeat against Liverpool as Enzo Maresca’s side welcome Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge.

Having found form under their new manager, the loss at Anfield was the second successive Premier League game in which they had dropped points.

They now take on a Newcastle side that would climb above their hosts with three points, though are without a win in four fixtures.

Eddie Howe’s visitors have drawn a blank in their last two outings and will hope to remedy their attacking ailments here.

Chelsea vs Newcastle LIVE

12:00 , Chris Wilson

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s early kick-off between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are looking to return to winning ways after a loss against Liverpool last week, and the Magpies are doing the same after a surprise loss at home to Brighton.

We’ll have all the latest build-up, team news and updates right here.


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 (Getty Images)

Wolves vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result and final score as Noni Madueke hits hat-trick in goalfest

(Getty Images)

Chelsea showed their attacking potential to give Enzo Maresca a first-ever top-flight win as a manager, as they swamped a defensively-dreadful Wolves to win 6-2 in the Premier League.

An even first half saw the scoring go back and forth, Nicolas Jackson’s early opener cancelled out by Matheus Cunha before Cole Palmer and Jorgen Strand Larsen swapped strikes right before the break.

But after the restart it was all about the blues’ attack, with Noni Madueke scoring a hat-trick – all set up by Palmer – and sub Joao Felix adding a late sixth on his second debut for the club to give the Maresca era a big first league win and plenty of talking points. For Wolves, a fast improvement is needed after they disappeared entirely, leading to a mostly empty stadium by the final whistle.

Follow all the reaction from Wolves vs Chelsea in the blog below

Wolves vs Chelsea LIVE

  • Wolves XI: Sa; Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Lemina, Gomes; Cunha, Larsen, Hwang.

  • Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.

  • Goal – Jackson gives Chelsea lead after just two minutes

  • Goal – Cunha fires in to level up for Wolves after half an hour

  • Goal – Palmer scores brilliant lob right before the break to restore Chelsea’s lead

  • Goal – Strand Larsen immediately equalises with finish on the stretch

  • Goal – Madueke scores straight after half-time for 3-2 to Chelsea

  • Goal – Madueke nets his second from Palmer assist

  • Goal – Madueke completes his hat-trick with low finish after an hour

  • Goal – Joao Felix scores off the bench on his second debut for Chelsea

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 2 – 6 Chelsea FC

FT – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

16:30 , Karl Matchett

At the other end of the scale, while the defensive unit must be questioned, Jose Sa in particular was very poor in goal. Nothing he could do about some, like Felix’s finish, but conceding six from eight shots on target isn’t a great look – three went through or straight past him.

Wolves actually had a better xG than Chelsea for the game, believe it or not: 1.92 – 1.56.

Wasn’t anything like a close finish to the actual scoreline, however.

FT – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

16:23 , Karl Matchett

For Wolves, there were positives to pick out in individuals, but certainly not defensively or in that team performance.

In attack, Cunha was typically excellent but Jorgen Strand Larsen served notice he’ll be vital for them if he’s fit and given service – lots of work rate, created a couple of openings, scored with a deft touch and kept the Chelsea defence guessing.

Lemina kept up his level, too.

FT – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

16:12 , Karl Matchett

Madueke will get the headlines for his treble but Cole Palmer produced the goods today too – not a non-stop performance for him but one beautiful goal and three assists – all for Madueke – clearly mark him out as a key player for Maresca once more.

Ideal for Maresca in attack too, with both starter and sub up front scoring, Jackson and Felix.

FT – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

16:05 , Karl Matchett

One or two boos as the full time whistle goes, but in truth most of the Wolves fans have either gone or gone quiet long ago.

Madueke hands his jersey to an elderly fan in the crowd, hops back over the barriers and off he goes in search of the matchball – he scored a hat-trick to clinch the points.

90+6’ – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

16:03 , Karl Matchett

So much space in front of the Wolves defence – the running has stopped and so have the challenges.

Felix turns again and drives on for 15 yards, but picks Neto instead of Madueke for the pass and it’s intercepted.

Much to ponder for Wolves before their next match, against Burnley in the League Cup in midweek and then Forest next week in the league.

90+2’ – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

15:57 , Karl Matchett

Into stoppage time we go and we’ll have eight minutes for unknown reasons. Lots of goals and subs sure, though the first 30 seconds of celebration time aren’t supposed to be added on any more.

Madueke rockets another shot wide from the edge of the box, as Doyle comes on as a late Wolves sub.

It’s all but done now here, pending any more late disasterclasses at the back for the home team.

88’ – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

15:54 , Karl Matchett

Just a couple of minutes left for Wolves to endure – plenty of their fans have already departed, of course.

Chelsea will be thinking they are in a good spot to take on Servette in that second leg of the Conference qualifier in midweek, before then hosting Crystal Palace next weekend.

Meanwhile Nkunku and Felix link on the edge of the box but the latter’s shot is deflected over.

84’ – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

15:50 , Karl Matchett

Veiga and Nkunku on for Cucurella and Palmer in another double sub for Maresca.

How many positives can the Chelsea boss take from today? They certainly controlled more of the second half but it felt like Wolves stepped off, more than Chelsea forced them to.

This has been desperate defensive work from the hosts all the same, but the visitors were equally poor in their own third of the pitch first half.

Still, score six every week and you won’t lose too many…

GOAL! 80’ – Wolves 2-6 Chelsea

15:47 , Karl Matchett

Incredible, another goal – and Joao Felix has scored on his second debut!

A brilliant break down the left sees Neto surging into space behind the defence, he cuts it back right into the path of Felix who has run from deep and his first-time finish is controlled and clinical, side-footed hard past Sa and in for 6-2.

What a scoreline.

78’ – Wolves 2-5 Chelsea

15:45 , Karl Matchett

Wow, what a finish – but it won’t count. A free-kick is clipped to Toti again and his header eventually lands to Lemina on the edge of the box – a half-volley scrapes off Dewsbury-Hall and in for 5-3…except the flag is up and Toti was offside from the initial set piece.

Chelsea still have a three goal lead.

74’ – Wolves 2-5 Chelsea

15:41 , Karl Matchett

Caicedo initially continued after treatment but he’s down again now and will be replaced. Dewsbury-Hall comes on for him as Maresca has a word with Cucurella, presumably to keep his head after being booked.

A good away win this, once they see it out.

70’ – Wolves 2-5 Chelsea

15:37 , Karl Matchett

Caicedo is down and needing attention after a big challenge from Mosquera – Chelsea players aren’t happy with the tackle and Cucurella gets right in his face, a few players quickly again coming together to clash for about the third time today.

Mosquera and Cucurella both booked.

66’ – Wolves 2-5 Chelsea

15:34 , Karl Matchett

Well, if Maresca’s Chelsea side is just to be a “we’ll score more than you” type of team, they’ll be well worth watching this term.

Defensively they looked extremely vulnerable in the first half, but in attack Wolves haven’t come close to stopping them.

Joao Felix is coming on for Jackson – a second debut following his earlier loan.

Wolves swap Dawson, Sarabia and Rodrigo Gomes for Ait-Nouri, Cunha and Bellegarde.

GOAL! 62’ – Wolves 2-5 Chelsea

15:31 , Karl Matchett

Could be anything, this. Chelsea under pressure but two passes get them past Wolves’ midfield, Palmer runs in down the right channel and lashes a shot in near post – strikes the outside of the woodwork and wide, he should have passed across to Madueke.

It doesn’t matter though because Palmer immediately has another opportunity this time does roll in Madueke…and he buries his hattrick!

5-2 to Chelsea!

GOAL! 58’ – Wolves 2-4 Chelsea

15:25 , Karl Matchett

And that might be enough for the Blues! Cole Palmer finds space, frees Madueke on the overlap and the right winger drills one through the legs of Sa, who has been beaten by everything today.

It’s 4-2 to Chelsea and they have a two-goal lead for the first time today.

54’ – Wolves 2-3 Chelsea

15:23 , Karl Matchett

Colwill drives past Ait-Nouri who takes him down – the left-back is on a yellow card, remember.

Lemina drills one over the bar from range for Wolves, minutes after the home crowd berate Hwang for moving out of a challenge with Neto.

GOAL! 49’ – Wolves 2-3 Chelsea

15:15 , Karl Matchett

What is going on in this game! Out of nothing again, Chelsea just switch it left to right, Madueke drifts in and shoots – it hits Ait-Nouri and bounces past Sa into the far corner, Chelsea ahead for a third time!

48’ – Wolves 2-2 Chelsea

15:14 , Karl Matchett

Enzo Fernandez robbed of the ball once more – he hasn’t had a great game so far. Wolves looking to keep the pressure on in the middle of the park, where Gomes and Lemina have had the upper hand so far.

46’ – Wolves 2-2 Chelsea

15:12 , Karl Matchett

Back underway. Sub for Chelsea at the break now as Pedro Neto is on for Mudryk. He’s straight into the action against his old team but Mosquera is there to fend him off.

15:03 , Karl Matchett

Well, a lot to unpack there:

Nicolas Jackson headed in the opener with basically the first attack of the game, a corner after two minutes.

The Blues were stronger in that early period but Wolves came back into it, had one disallowed and missed a couple of other chances – then Matheus Cunha barrelled in the equaliser after a great Ait-Nouri run.

It looked like that would be it for the first half as both spurned chances, but a long Sanchez pass found Jackson, who hooked one on for Cole Palmer – and he produced a great lob to put Chelsea back ahead.

In stoppage time at the end of the half, though, Wolves were level once more as Jorgen Strand Larsen stretched out a boot to make it 2-2 from a Toni knock-down.

 (Getty Images) (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

HT: Wolves 2-2 Chelsea

14:57 , Karl Matchett

A wild half comes to a close with a mid-air crash but Gomes and Jackson are fine after some treatment.

Four goals, a whole host of other chances and plenty of very questionable defensive work.

Both managers might want a word to tighten things up!

GOAL! 45+6’ – Wolves 2-2 Chelsea

14:53 , Karl Matchett

…and would you believe it, we’re all square again!

A clipped ball to the far post sees Toti nod across the six-yard box, no Chelsea defender is faced the right way to clear and Strand Larsen is there to reach out a big right leg and divert it past Sanchez and in!

It’s back to all square, 2-2 before the break.

45+4’ – Wolves 1-2 Chelsea

14:51 , Karl Matchett

Well inside stoppage time – elsewhere Bournemouth lead Newcastle. You can follow that in our other live blog running alongside this one.

No great push from Wolves to get themselves back on level terms and they look a bit deflated after conceding that soft second goal.

Madueke fouls Cunha about eight yards outside the box and there’s a final chance to deliver for the hosts before the break…

GOAL! 45’ – Wolves 1-2 Chelsea

14:47 , Karl Matchett

Scrap all of that!!

Wolves’ free-kick ends up wide, Chelsesa launch it forward, Jackson flicks it on and Palmer runs in to clip a lobbed finish, first time, over Sa and into the net from 25 yards!

Fantastic finish and timing from the attacking midfielder but how have Wolves switched off like that before the break, Toti was the only one back!

Six minutes added on.

44’ – Wolves 1-1 Chelsea

14:45 , Karl Matchett

Final minutes before the break and it was so close a brilliant goal with the move of the game! Joao Gomes drags Wolves upfield once more and Lemina then splits the defence with a take-on and a pass, the cut-back finds Cunha and his strike is deflected past Sanchez and onto the crossbar by Colwill!

Almost brilliant but Chelsea escape and will probably be glad to get into the dressing rooms level, despite that fast start they made. Cole Palmer is then next into the book for berating the ref after a foul.

40’ – Wolves 1-1 Chelsea

14:41 , Karl Matchett

A total mix-up between Toti and Sa as a bouncing ball is left by both, then gone for by both – it bounces off the keeper, hits the onrushing Jackson on the heel and rolls away to safety. Massive let-off for Wolves.

Neto – and Joao Felix – go out for a warm-up with a few minutes left before the break. Interesting to see what reception he gets if the ex-Wolves man comes on.

Five minutes until the interval. Gusto is booked now for tripping Cunha who was off on a counter – bit of a dramatic fall but it was certainly card-worthy for stopping the attack in any case.

36’ – Wolves 1-1 Chelsea

14:37 , Karl Matchett

Yellow card for Ait-Nouri now and a shooting chance from the free-kick for Cole Palmer, who has been a little quiet in the last 15 minutes. Straight into the wall. Strand Larsen leaps and heads it away, goes down, shakes it off and gets on with it.

Think they love him here already, plenty of chasing, challenging and genuinely smart hard work.

32’ – Wolves 1-1 Chelsea

14:34 , Karl Matchett

Ait-Nouri pings a brilliant cross from the left this time and it’s just a yard ahead of Larsen, who is stretching in the middle to reach it.

Chelsea struggling to match their own early intensity and in this entire half it has seemed both teams could score every time they reach the penalty box.

Another corner is swung in from the right but the blues this time repel the danger – and the second delivery.

GOAL! 27’ – Wolves 1-1 Chelsea

14:30 , Karl Matchett

It has been coming…and now Wolves are level! Ait-Nouri strides forward after winning the ball, beats Fernandez twice and flicks a reverse pass to Cunha who blazes a finish high and central past Sanchez and in for 1-1!

Great run from the left-back, fine finish.

Yet again after the goal goes in, there’s a clash between both sets of players – unclear if definitely that’s Cunha saying something to Jackson because of what he said after the first goal, but it looks like it.

The ref has a word with all involved and on we go.

24’ – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea

14:26 , Karl Matchett

Lemina is the new Wolves captain and he makes a brilliant recovery challenge on Mudryk here, sliding back as the Ukrainian threatens to sprint away into the box.

Doherty is down now and needing some attention for Wolves – they are without Nelson Semedo through suspension at right-back, remember.

20’ – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea

14:21 , Karl Matchett

Crazy match! Shouldn’t really still be 1-0. Chelsea spurn another chance with a shot from Madueke causing problems but Palmer and Jackson unable to get control to shoot afterwards.

Then it’s back down the other end and Larsen crosses low again for Cunha at the far post – this time he pokes wide on the stretch!

Sa needs a bit of attention with a possible hamstring issue but there’s a bit of treatment and on he goes.

17’ – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea

14:18 , Karl Matchett

Nobody is defending in this game! Jackson breaks through behind the defence and is in on goal before Mosquera makes a great recovery run and challenge, then 10 seconds later Larsen is through, squares for Cunha and he finishes beyond Sanchez – but the offside flag is up against the new addition.

VAR confirms it and we stay at 0-1.

14’ – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea

14:17 , Karl Matchett

Cunha runs in behind the defence this time and slides for a ball which is just overhit – Sanchez is out quickly and deflects it away bravely, both players colliding but fine to get up and continue.

Now Wolves are just showing their teeth and getting a few passes together in the final third finally.

Cucurella loses out but a combination of Fofana and Gusto clears the latest moment of danger. Now it’s Chelsea who need to wake up and find some control.

10’ – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea

14:12 , Karl Matchett

Very close to an equaliser from this corner too – the right-footed delivery from Cunha is met by Mosquera with a giant leap and powerful header, but his effort flies just past the post instead of inside it.

Strand Larsen is next to try running at the Chelsea defence but he’s closed out by Fofana – the on-loan attacker tries to get the crowd going, since none of the football has so far.

6’ – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea

14:10 , Karl Matchett

The home side still haven’t really got to grips with Chelsea and have hardly had a spell of possession so far.

Chelsea looking to press their early advantage and make the most of that brilliant start.

Now a first ball out to the left for Bellegarde to race at the defence sees Wolves win a corner – good recovery from Gusto to track back and make the challenge.

GOAL! 2’ – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea

14:05 , Karl Matchett

And from the resulting set piece, the first goal of the game! Palmer’s corner comes in and is flicked on by Cunha, but totally unmarked at the far post is Nicolas Jackson who rises and buries a header past Sa and in!

Not even two minutes on the clock and the visitors are in front.

A bit of a skirmish in the aftermath of the goal between two sets of players but Wolves are behind and pay the price for that very slow start!

1’ – Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

14:03 , Karl Matchett

First opening for the visitors as Noni Madueke skips inside and shoots low – Sa forced into a good save! Wolves need to wake up, they look sluggish and a bit off the early pace.

0’ – Wolves 0-0 Chelsea

14:02 , Karl Matchett

We are underway! Chelsea get us kicked off after a minute’s applause.

Two clubs who lost last weekend, both hopeful of far more in the season to come.

Cole Palmer lining up centrally for the Blues, just off the striker – how much havoc can he cause?

Wolves vs Chelsea live – latest updates

13:55 , Karl Matchett

Into the final minutes ahead of the start of Sunday’s action – elsewhere you can follow Bournemouth vs Newcastle live too but we’ll be sticking with Wolves against Chelsea right here.

Later we will of course have full coverage of Liverpool vs Brentford and Arne Slot’s first home competitive match in charge of the Reds.

Next up is all the action from Molineux!

Wolves vs Chelsea live – latest updates

13:51 , Karl Matchett

Not sure about the relevance given the change-around on and off the pitch at Chelsea, but these two sides last met in early February at Stamford Bridge…and Wolves won 4-2.

Cole Palmer and Thiago Silva scored for the hosts, but Matheus Cunha hit a hattrick and Axel Disasi scored an own goal to give O’Neil’s side the points.

That made it a double for the campaign following a 2-1 win at Molineux, with Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty scoring before a very late Christopher Nkunku consolation.

How will today pan out?

 (Getty Images) (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Wolves vs Chelsea live – latest updates

13:46 , Karl Matchett

With the transfer deadline less than a week away now, the new Chelsea head coach has made it clear to his bosses that there are a group of players he doesn’t want involved…and won’t have in his training sessions.

“At the moment, with the squad that we have, I am working with 22, 23 or 21 players – not with the 42 players, otherwise it is impossible,” Maresca said.

“It is impossible for any manager in the world to make a session with 45 players. It’s impossible. You cannot do that.

“I just communicate [to the sporting directors] the players that I like and the players I don’t like and because there is one week […] left of the transfer window, hopefully we can find solutions for all of them.

“When you find solutions, everyone is happy. When you don’t find a solution, then you can create some problems.”

Time running down for a whole host of would-be starters and even internationals in some cases…

Wolves vs Chelsea live – latest updates

13:41 , Karl Matchett

Last Premier League season for Wolves as an overall glance:

Top scorers – Hwang and Cunha, 12 apiece

Most big chances created – Sarabia, 9

PL rank for:

Possession – 11th, 49%

Clean sheets – 15th, 5

xG – 17th, 47.6

Shots on target per match – 15th, 4.2

Touches in opposition box – 19th, 795

xG conceded – 6th, 68.9

Penalties conceded – 2nd, 8

Yellow cards – 2nd, 100.

Clear areas of improvement for Gary O’Neil to find this term!

Wolves vs Chelsea live – latest updates

13:35 , Karl Matchett

Pedro Neto is of course involved for Chelsea against his former club – he’s sub once more, but the forward is likely to feature after a handful of minutes off the bench against Man City last weekend, then a start and nearly an hour of gametime in midweek.

Chelsea beat Servette 2-0 in a Conference League qualifier, Neto managing one shot and 29 touches in his 57 minutes of action.

The 24-year-old struggled again with injury last term but still scored two and assisted nine in just over 1,500 minutes for Wolves.

 (Chelsea FC via Getty Images) (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

(Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Wolves vs Chelsea live – latest updates

13:27 , Karl Matchett

Not that we should ever read too much into preseason results, but Wolves beat West Ham and lost to Crystal Palace this summer – while also beating RB Leipzig and losing to Rayo Vallecano.

A very mixed bag, to say the least.

Their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on the opening weekend of the Premier League season was far from too damaging, given it was away from home, but they’ll certainly want to give a good account today on home soil and not start the campaign with successive defeats.

Wolves vs Chelsea live – latest updates

13:20 , Karl Matchett

Wolves are without the suspended Nelson Semedo and striker Sasa Kalajdzic – who is still on their books but who suffered a third ACL injury last term and is still in rehab.

For Chelsea, Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are of course the high-profile casualties of Enzo Maresca’s decisions over his squad this season, but Axel Disasi, Reece James and Djordje Petrovic are others not even involved in the squad, for a variety of reasons.

A lot of work to do behind the scenes to trim that squad…and salary bill.

Why isn’t Wolves v Chelsea on TV?

13:14 , Karl Matchett

Wolves and Chelsea will bid to bounce back from opening weekend defeats as the two sides meet at Molineux.

Both clubs fell to 2-0 defeats to last year’s Premier League title chasers, with Gary O’Neil’s side beaten by Arsenal and Chelsea unable to overcome the off-field chaos at the club against Manchester City.

Enzo Maresca has since secured his first competitive victory as manager of the London club in the first leg of their Conference League play-off tie against Servette, though his pre-match comments about his bloated squad at Stamford Bridge raised eyebrows.

Chelsea’s European business forced the rescheduling of this fixture from Saturday to Sunday, but it will not be shown live on television in the United Kingdom.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Why isn’t Wolves v Chelsea on TV?

Chelsea could still raise a fortune this summer

13:07 , Karl Matchett

Joao Felix is in the door, Conor Gallagher has gone – but there’s still plenty more transfer business which could be done by Chelsea yet, particularly with regards to outgoing links.

There are a handful here of which still could get done before deadline day…

Ten players Chelsea could sell to fund summer spending spree

Wolves vs Chelsea

12:58 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Enzo Maresca heavily praised Noni Madueke after that Conference League play-off first leg win, so a start always felt a possibility here. More of a surprise, though, is the inclusion of Mykhailo Mudryk – for all of his natural gifts, the Ukraine winger continues to struggle for consistency.

“We’re going to try to help him to change,” said Maresca of Mudryk on Thursday. “We’re going to bring him the ball in the last third, and when he’s there he has to take the right decisions.

“The mistakes he makes are not technical, they are about choices. It’s about decision making. Hopefully we can help him and we can improve that.”

Enzo Maresca wants Noni Madueke to stay at Chelsea after goal against Servette

Wolves vs Chelsea team news

12:51 , Harry Latham-Coyle

There is no Romeo Lavia in the Chelsea squad, which is presumably related to injury given the midfielder was one of their best against Manchester City.

Team news – Chelsea

12:49 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, rewards Noni Madueke with a start after his goalscoring cameo against Servette. Mykhailo Mudryk also earns an opportunity on the wing with Cole Palmer, it would seem, moving into a central role.

Joao Felix is on the bench.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.

Team news – Wolves

12:47 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Let’s start with the hosts’ line-up, though, as Gary O’Neil makes a single change to his Wolves side – Matheus Cunha is promoted after featuring off the bench against Arsenal.

Wolves XI: Sa; Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Lemina, Gomes; Cunha, Larsen, Hwang.

Wolves vs Chelsea

12:40 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Wolves boss Gary O’Neil insisted on Friday it was “pretty much impossible” to predict the Chelsea line-up they will face this afternoon.

Chelsea have brought in 10 new players since new boss Enzo Maresca walked through the door at Stamford Bridge, including former Wolves talisman Pedro Neto.

Neto faces a quick return to Molineux on Sunday when he revisits Wolves with his new club after making his Premier League debut in their defeat to Manchester City last week.

O’Neil was interested to see whether Neto would be included to play in front of the fans that used to sing his name after he also appeared in Chelsea Europa Conference League qualifying victory over Servette on Thursday night.

He told a press conference: “It’ll be interesting to see what they do with him.

“Obviously he played yesterday, we’ll see whether he can go again on the weekend and start again on the Sunday.

“It’s pretty much impossible for me to predict the Chelsea line-up but, there are so many there.

“We know some that definitely won’t be in the team but figuring out what they’re going to do will be tough.

“We will try and give the best account of ourselves and try start the Premier League season at home with a win, which will be huge for us.”

Pedro Neto could face his former club (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Pedro Neto could face his former club (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Pedro Neto could face his former club (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

New signing Joao Felix is ‘player that will help us’ says Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca

12:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Enzo Maresca tells Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell to leave or ‘struggle’ at Chelsea

12:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Enzo Maresca has advised Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell that they will have to leave Chelsea to play regular football, but insisted that his bloated squad was “not a mess”.

The London club secured their latest summer signing on Wednesday as Joao Felix sealed a return to Stamford Bridge, with Conor Gallagher completing a move the other way to Atletico Madrid.

It now leaves the club looking to offload perhaps as many as a dozen players before the end of the transfer window as they try to whittle down their senior playing group.

Enzo Maresca tells Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell to leave or ‘struggle’ at Chelsea

Raheem Sterling training at home amid bitter Chelsea fallout – as Pedro Neto takes shirt number

12:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

One player who will not be involved today is Raheem Sterling, who has been training on his own since last week after Chelsea made it clear that the England international is not part of Enzo Maresca’s plans.

Chelsea have already left Sterling out of their two matchday squads this year.

Sterling training at home amid bitter Chelsea fallout – as Neto takes shirt number

Wolves vs Chelsea – early team news

12:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Gary O’Neil confirmed on Friday that Wolves have no fresh injury concerns, with Matheus Cunha ready for “more minutes” after appearing off the bench against Arsenal. Nelson Semedo featured for the club’s U21s on Friday as he builds up his fitness while suspended.

Enzo Maresca made nine changes for the Conference League play-off win over Servette, but is likely to return to a similar side to the one beaten by Manchester City. Reece James remains suspended and is also dealing with a hamstring issue; Ben Chiwell and Raheem Sterling are among those training away from the first-team squad having been told they are surplus to requirements.

 (Getty Images) (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Wolves vs Chelsea

Friday 23 August 2024 15:36 , Sonia Twigg

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live build up and coverage of Wolves vs Chelsea.

The Blues are still looking to get off the mark in the Premier League following an opening-day defeat to Manchester City, while some of their fans remain aggrieved at the signing of home favourites like Conor Gallagher.

Enzo Maresca is still finalising his first-team squad, but some players, including Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell have already been told they are not part of the new manager’s plans this season.


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