En route to his 25-minute hat-trick within the first half, Cole Palmer celebrated with his customary ‘cold’ celebration, but then covered his ears with his hands by the 3,000-strong away end.
He had not scored since it was rumoured he would be open to Manchester United if a move materialised and that he was not the happiest soul at Chelsea. Now the 23-year-old Englishman had his chance to address that speculation in his own way.
It was a clear message – I’m not listening to them and you shouldn’t either – because Palmer is considered one of Chelsea’s untouchables by those upstairs at Stamford Bridge.
It was largely a straightforward hat-trick he scored at Molineux, starting with two penalties won by Joao Pedro, but it was cathartic nonetheless for Palmer after niggling groin and thigh injuries had held him back of late.
His third to complete the treble was very much from the Liam Rosenior playbook.
Robert Sanchez had the ball at the back. It was progressed up the ladder, from Wesley Fofana to Pedro Neto to Enzo Fernandez on the left-hand side. Fernandez was practically used as a left winger here in a role we have not seen from him before. He played a pass in behind after a good run made by Marc Cucurella, whose cutback was perfect for Palmer.
Cole Palmer pulled out his trademark ‘cold’ celebration as he bagged a hat-trick versus Wolves
Two of Palmer’s three goals were penalties, given away through Wolves’ defensive mishaps
Liam Rosenior secured his sixth win from eight games as Chelsea boss at a rainy Molineux
No Bueno for Wolves
Wolves had Hugo Bueno and Santiago Bueno in their back line and here we were, waiting to see whether one might make a mistake so we could say he was the kinder Bueno.
Instead, it was Wolves’ other two defenders, Matt Doherty and Yerson Mosquera, who indulged in daftness here. They gifted Chelsea their penalties – Doherty for foolishly trying to tackle Joao Pedro while he was shielding the ball and Mosquera for blatantly pushing the Brazilian in the back with two hands. It was amusing that they both had the audacity to protest those penalties.
It is a shame for Joao Pedro that, in the eyes of the Premier League, he will not be awarded two assists for his contribution here after leading the line with aplomb.
Garnacho’s woes continue
Since signing for Chelsea in the summer, Alejandro Garnacho has been substituted before the hour mark on seven occasions. This time, he was the one being introduced after an hour with Chelsea in a relatively comfortable position, leading 3-1 against the Premier League’s worst side.
Garnacho has looked like a £40million winger going through a confidence crisis of late, as if he has the footballing equivalent of the yips when there’s a full back for beating one-v-one.
Garnacho was unable to do much with his 30 minutes and occasionally vented his frustration at Sanchez for not sending quick long balls into his path. Rosenior will continue to back Garnacho in the hope that his attacker finds some belief in himself soon.
