Chelsea sit in third place in the Premier League after last weekend’s fixtures with a 3-0 win over then-managerless Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The victory helped ease the pressure on Enzo Maresca with the Blues boss having been scrutinised for rotating his side heavily each match.
Maresca’s team selection was vindicated as summer signing Alejandro Garnacho shone with two assists, while Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto scored the goals in the second half.
Pedro became the sixth Brazilian to score on his 100th Premier League appearance, joining the likes of David Luiz and Gabriel Jesus.
The forward’s Brazilian counterpart Estevao Willian, who replaced Liam Delap late on, was an impressive and energetic spark – signalling that he is an exciting prospect in world football.
TIBS News was at Stamford Bridge to run the rule over that encounter.
Enzo Maresca responds to criticism with statement win
After a goalless first-half, Maresca would have had unsettling nerves as he walked through the Stamford Bridge tunnel with fans voicing their frustrations.
Nonetheless his side took the lead within six minutes of the restart to settle him and open the floodgates as Chelsea scored a further two goals in the second half.
Prior to the game ‘rotation’ was at the forefront of discussion among pundits with Maresca having made 85 changes to the Chelsea starting line-up since the start of the season. The victory has settled some debate and has placed his Blues in the top four.
Wolves sink deeper into trouble
The thrashing adds more fuel to the fire about Wolves’ relegation fears with the side now firmly sitting in 20th without a victory under their belt.
The Molineux outfit sacked manager Vitor Pereira on November 2 and their plight has left fans feeling relegation is inevitable.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Paul Merson warned that the toothless side had it all to do: ‘You don’t sack your manager and wait this long to appoint a new one. Wolves are trying to stay up in the Premier League, they should have brought someone in by now.’
The international break has yielded a new manager now with Rob Edwards leaving Middlesbrough to return to a club close to his heart. He has a lot to do though with Wolves winless after 11 Premier League matches and eight points from safety.
Player focus
Alejandro Garnacho showed his class on Saturday night with the 21-year-old producing two assists – the first time has done so in the Premier League thus far.
Speaking post-match, Maresca praised the Argentine stating: ‘He’s doing really well both on and off the ball and he knows if he wants to succeed at this club he has to be good on and off the ball.’
Pedro marked his 100th Premier League appearance with a first-time finish, taking his tally to four goals and three assists in the top flight so far this season.
Another positive for the Blues was the return of striker Delap who made his first start for the club since August due to a hamstring injury. His return could solve the ‘rotation’ concerns for Maresca for the remainder of the season.
Estevao Willian: A star for the future
Many feel Chelsea have a player for the future in Estevao. The forward finally joined the club this summer after agreeing to join from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras in an initial £29million transfer last summer.
Such is his talent, data companies have suggested that his value is at £100m signalling that he is a star in the making – with only Lamine Yamal ahead of him as a teenager.
Maresca is confident Estevao has a bright future too, saying: ‘You can see that absolutely, he is a top talent, again we are helping to adapt and give him the right minutes – in the next five years for this club he will be a top top player.’
