Chelsea ease past Wolves as Potter’s magic starts to work

Chelsea breezed past Wolves, as Graham Potter won back-to-back Premier League wins to propel the Blues into the top four.

[MORE: Premier League in USA ] 

Kai Havertz scored just before half-time, Christian Pulisic made it 2:2, then Christian Pulisic made the score 2-0 with his first goal of season. Armando Broja leapt off the bench to score his first Chelsea goal and seal the win.

[ MORE: Christian Pulisic Watch – How did USMNT star perform? ]

After making seven changes to the lineup, Potter’s side eased to victory and move on to 16 points for the season. The Managerless Wolves are currently at the bottom of the table with six points.

WATCH FULL Match REPLAY

The joy has returned to Chelsea’s play: It took them a while to break through but it was coming. Chelsea’s players already seem to have embraced the extra creativity and freedom that Graham Potter’s tactics have brought and even after leaving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling on the bench, they looked sharp in attack. There is an extra belief about their play when they’re going forward and they could have scored more than three. All over the pitch Chelsea’s players look to be enjoying playing football again and winning three games on the trot (in all competitions) will help confidence levels too.

Wolves in trouble: They did okay for a portion of the parts, but they missed a few opportunities as crosses into the box caused problems. That was it. There is no real threat to Wolves' goal with Raul Jimenez still out, and Diego Costa, 34 looking off the pace since his arrival. They also don’t have a manager and they entire squad looks devoid of confidence. It has been this way for a while, and anyone who steps in to fix it will face a difficult task. Wolves lack belief.

Potter’s hybrid wing-back roles worked really well in this game and Azpilicueta and Christian Pulisic had plenty of chances to score and assist. In possession, Chelsea were using a 4-2-3-1 formation. Pulisic was pushing down the left. It would then become a 3-4-2-2-1 out of possession with Pulisic playing as a wingback and Marc Cucurella as the left-sided centre back. It worked great and allowed Chelsea to overload wide areas with their expertise.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]

“I’ve said from the start I’ve been impressed with how open, honest and responsible they are. It’s difficult to keep the same XI with the schedule but there is an element of consistency to how we play. Really happy with the boys and how we’ve recovered. We'll be back on Tuesday. Winning games helps so we look forward to the games, it’s about hard work, it’s being together, that stuff is important but the guys have been really impressive.”

Mason Mount - Two assists and continued popping up in dangerous places. He’s slowly getting back to his best.

Kai Havertz : He took his goal well and led line admirably as he linked up play with clever runs.

Chelsea will travel to AC Milan on Tuesday for the UEFA Champions League group stage. Then, they will travel to Aston Villa on Sunday Oct. 16. In a huge match, Wolves will host Nottingham Forest on Saturday Oct. 15.

Kick off: 10am ET, SaturdayTV Channel: Peacock Online: Stream via Peacock Premium

Pulisic is back in Chelsea's starting XI!

????: @peacock #MyPLMorning | #CHEWOL pic.twitter.com/TxN6IHCeNC

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 8, 2022

It’s still early days in the Graham Potter era at Chelsea but the signs are promising. He’s made some big decisions with the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Cesar Azpilicueta unused subs for the win at Palace last weekend and Potter already seems to be sorting out Chelsea’s attacking issues. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his first Chelsea goal and added another against Milan to make them more fluid and dangerous in attack. Wolves' problem is not scoring goals. Injuries to their strikers, most notably Raul Jimenez, was a major reason why Bruno Lage was dismissed. Diego Costa's return to Chelsea is something to watch out for. He could start this game after having an impact on the bench at West Ham last week. He should have scored a header and set-up a goal, but that was ruled out.

Aubameyang looks sharper, and Reece James continues to surge up the right flank for Chelsea. Jose Sa is doing well in goal for Wolves and Ruben Neves, who was suspended for this match, is doing his best in midfield and at center back following recent injuries and suspensions.

Potter is thrilled to hear that the Blues have some key players who are back from injury. Marc Cucurella and Edouard Mendy are both back in good health. Cucurella starts, but Kepa takes Mendy's place. Wesley Fofana sustained an injury against AC Milan. He is now out for a few more weeks. Gallagher and Pulisic had a huge impact on the bench at Palace, and both will start, with Sterling and Aubameyang on the bench. Reece James, Ruben LoftusCheek and Reece James drop to the bench at right wingback.

The latest news from Chelsea! ????@ParimatchGlobal | #CheWol pic.twitter.com/NzsVImhVDf

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 8, 2022

Wolves don't need a long list of suspensions and injuries. This explains why they are in the bottom three. Raul Jimenez and Pedro Neto are out, while Sasakalajdzic will be out at least six months due to his serious knee injury. Chiquinho is also out for the long-term, while Nathan Collins remains suspended and Neves is absent due to yellow card accumulation. As he returns to Chelsea, Diego Costa will start at the front.

3️⃣ Three changes. ☝️ Costa's first attempt.

How we line up to take on @ChelseaFC

???????? pic.twitter.com/EwZVnv736Z

— Wolves (@Wolves) October 8, 2022

Follow @JPW_NBCSports