Wolves 2 Chelsea 5 – Report and pictures

Abraham toyed with the Wolves defence. He got two of his goals in the first half, after Fikayo Tomori's long-range drive opened the scoring, and completed his treble in style after the break.

Wolves replied in the form of an Abraham own goal and Patrick Cutrone's first for the club, but Mason Mount rounded things off for the Blues, meaning Nuno Espirito Santo's side are still winless in the Premier League.

Analysis

It was Molineux's 130th anniversary, and it was hoped Wolves would put in a thrilling performance to mark the occasion.

However, they were second-best all over the park in this deserved defeat to Frank Lampard's Chelsea.

With Ryan Bennett out of the side, Romain Saiss and Jesus Vallejo started well enough at the back, but things unravelled – big time.

Tomori broke the deadlock, and the Blues instantly netted again through Abraham, who Wolves simply could not handle.

He broke away from Conor Coady for his second, and raced past him for his third. The 21-year-old had a field day, although he did come away with an own goal to his name too, and gestured to the crowd about the score amid a chorus of boos as he limped off towards the end.

After such an error-strewn outing at Everton, and an international break to think things over, it was hugely disappointing to see Wolves so out of sorts again.

Cutrone's first goal for the club was a positive in a game with far more negatives coming out of it.

Wolves looked so organised, so well-drilled last season as they finished seventh. At the moment, they are all over the place.

Match report

Fans were wondering whether it would be Saiss or Vallejo replacing the suspended Willy Boly in defence, but, as it turned out, both came into the side, with Bennett not in the squad.

Jonny Castro Otto, Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota all returned to the starting line-up as well.

Chelsea, meanwhile, went for a 3-4-3 formation – ex-Wolves target Abraham leading the line, flanked by Willian and Mount.

The focus was on how Saiss and Vallejo would fare, and the Blues looked to unsettle both of them early on as they pressed high up the pitch.

In the main, though, the defensive duo looked comfortable in the opening stages of the clash, with Saiss coolly directing the ball back to Rui Patricio to avert danger after Marcos Alonso's cross while Vallejo made a few well-timed interceptions.

However, the wheels soon fell off, as Chelsea netted not one, not two, but three times before the interval.

The opener came just after the half-hour mark. Tomori, from 25 yards out, with plenty of time and space as the ball rolled towards him, fantastically found the top corner with his curling effort.

An exceptional finish for a centre-half, and hard to blame the Wolves defence given the element of surprise which came with the strike.

But you could point the finger firmly at them for the Blues' second, which came just a minute later. Tomori went on a marauding run and looked for Mount, who was tripped by Coady.

Referee Graham Scott could have easily given a penalty, but allowed play to continue, and Vallejo inadvertently put the ball on a plate for Abraham to finish.

Abraham, who Wolves wanted to sign last January until he turned them down to stay on loan at Villa, was not done there either.

He escaped the attention of Coady to head home Alonso's cross to add to Wolves' woes and provide Nuno with an interesting half-time team talk, no doubt. The Molineux faithful could not believe what they were seeing.

A host of club greats – Derek Parkin, Kenny Hibbitt, Steve Bull, John McAlle, Geoff Palmer, Andy Thompson, Mike Bailey, Phil Parkes, Robbie Dennison and Andy Mutch – were presented to the crowd at half-time as part of the anniversary celebrations.

Some on social media jokingly called for all-time leading scorer Bull to be brought on up front. He was not introduced, of course, but Nuno did bring on a striker for the start of the second period, with Cutrone replacing Leander Dendoncker. And with that came a change in formation – copying Chelsea's 3-4-3.

Instead of Wolves finding a goal, though, the Blues added to their tally – Abraham completing his hat-trick.

He ran at Coady, stopped the ball dead, and then accelerated past the sweeper before confidently picking out the far corner. A finish of a centre forward oozing confidence. Coady & Co, meanwhile, were floored.

In a bid to prevent any further embarrassment, Matt Doherty replaced Adama Traore at right-wing-back.

But there was another Chelsea goal, although Wolves got a couple before to soften the blow slightly.

Joao Moutinho swung in a corner from the right, Saiss powerfully met the ball with his head, and it found the net – hitting Kepa Arrizabalaga and Abraham on the way through, going down as an Abraham own goal.

Cutrone then opened his account in gold and black. Doherty, who had earlier been denied a penalty appeal as he went down under a challenge from Alonso, got a shot away from a tight angle, and Arrizabalaga could only parry, allowing the Italian to poke in from point-blank range.

The relief on the former AC Milan forward's face was there for all to see, and supporters were delighted for him.

On the whole, though, this was another dismal defensive display and Mount struck deep into second-half stoppage-time.

If they carry on in the same vein at the back, that first league win will not come anytime soon.

Key moments

31 Goal. After a cagey opening half-hour, Fikayo Tomori brings the game to life with a long-range effort to open the scoring. The defender hits the ball first time, though Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio seemed slow to react as it flies into the net.

34 Goal. Things get worse for Wolves as Tammy Abraham doubles Chelsea’s lead. The striker fires home on the turn after referee Graham Scott waves play on when Conor Coady appears to pull back Mason Mount in the box.

41 Goal. A nightmare first-half for Wolves is complete as Abraham bags his second. The one-time Villa loanee nods home Marcos Alonso’s cross after escaping the attentions of Coady.

55 Goal. Abraham completes his hat-trick, getting past Coady before driving a right-footed finish into the bottom corner.

69 GOAL. Wolves get one back. Romain Saiss powers Joao Moutinho’s corner toward goal and Kepa can only push the ball into the hand of Abraham and in, with the Chelsea striker credited with the own goal.

85 GOAL. Wolves pull another back as Patrick Cutrone bags his first goal for the club. The Italian finishes from close range after Kepa can only parry Matt Doherty’s shot.

90+6 Goal. Mason Mount gets the goal his own performance deserves, slotting past Patricio after Chelsea break.

Teams

Wolves (3-5-2): Patricio; Vallejo, Coady (c), Saiss; Traore (Doherty, 56), Neves, Dendoncker (Cutrone, 46), Moutinho, Otto; Jimenez (Gibbs-White, 70), Jota

Subs not used: Ruddy (gk), Kilman, Vinagre, Neto

Goals Abraham OG (69), Cutrone (84)

Chelsea (3-4-3): Arrizabalaga; Rudiger (Zouma, 46), Christensen, Tomori; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic (Barkley, 70), Alonso; Willian, Abraham (Batshuayi, 78), Mount

Subs not used: Caballero (gk), Pulisic, Pedro, Giroud

Goals: Tomori (32), Abraham (33, 41, 55), Mount (90+6)

Attendance: 31,534 (3,014 Chelsea fans)

Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire)

Next up

Wolves kick off their Europa League group stage campaign against Braga at Molineux on Thursday (8pm).