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Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea reign finally has lift-off, although only after he delivered his side a half-time rollicking in their 6-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Blues, looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in their opening league game, were being held to a 2-2 draw at Molineux last weekend, until a “delicate” team talk from the boss inspired them to a thumping win as the west Londoners scored six goals away from home for the first time since April 2022 against Southampton.
It is perhaps no surprise that Chelsea have taken a little time to get going, given that they are very much a side in transition. Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout this summer, has splashed over £200m in bringing in more than ten signings during the transfer window, including Jadon Sancho on deadline day - players he’ll hope can help them secure a 14th successive Premier League win against Crystal Palace and in turn draw level with the longest ever winning run against a single opponent in English Football League history.
That is ominous for the Eagles, who, in being beaten 2-1 and 2-0 by Brentford and West Ham United respectively at the beginning of this campaign, have tasted defeat in their opening two top-flight fixtures for the first time since the start of 2017/18. That season seven years ago is actually also the only ever season in which Palace have lost their first three matches of a top-flight campaign - a feat they risk matching here.
Manager Oliver Glasner did at least get some respite from their league struggles in midweek when his side demolished Championship outfit Norwich City 4-0 in the Carabao Cup. That result came at a cost though, as new signing Chadi Riad picked up a knee injury, providing a further headache for the boss, who has already had to deal with the departure of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich and Joachim Andersen’s switch to Fulham this summer, although the squad has been bolstered by the deadline day arrivals of Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah and Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg.
Players to watch: Noni Madueke netted a second-half hat-trick in Chelsea’s thrashing of Wolves, taking his record to four wins from the last six Premier League encounters he has scored in (D2). Battling him for supremacy may be Palace new-boy Ismaïla Sarr, who has seen 11 of his last 13 goals in club football serve as the first or last of the game.
Hot stat: Thirteen of Chelsea’s last 15 Premier League matches have featured 3+ goals.
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