NONI MADUEKE sent his popularity in Wolverhampton plummeting even further with his latest strike against the club.
The Chelsea winger branded the Midlands city “s***” before bagging a hat-trick at Molineux last August.
He was booed by the visiting fans all night in the return at Stamford Bridge but shrugged it off to score the crucial second-half goal that condemned them to a third straight Premier League defeat.
His close-range header is also his fourth goal against them this season.
For someone who dislikes the place so much he sure likes playing against them.
Madueke’s 65th-minute goal added to earlier strikes by defenders Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Cucurella on what looks a convincing win for Chelsea but took far too long to get over the line.
It’s a first home win for them since mid-December even if it does take Enzo Maresca’s team back into the top four. They are four points off second place but still ten off the top.
Although head coach Maresca will be relieved that his rejigged team managed to end a run of five games without a win in the league.
With such a top-quality and expensive squad it is surprising how Chelsea are struggling to put a team together at the moment.
But key injuries count. They haven’t looked the same since unlucky centre-back Wesley Fofana was effectively ruled out for the season.
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Trevoh Chalobah was forced into an emergency recall from loan at Crystal Palace late last week and immediately handed a start.
Maresca also can’t make up his mind about experienced Tosin, who scored twice in the FA Cup against Morecambe only to be dropped for the next game.
He was back in the fold last night and repaid the decision by putting Chelsea ahead with a scrappy goal in a scrappy first half.
An outswinging corner in the 24th minute eventually found Reece James waiting on the edge of the Wolves box.
His low drive into the mix hit Tosin, who showed cool control then prodded the ball in from around eight yards out.
It was initially ruled out for offside but the defender was convinced not as he wagged his finger towards the linesman and his raised flag.
VAR made sure justice was served and Maresca’s team were ahead for the fourth match in a row. But it never looked solid.
Chelsea’s manager insists he is happy with the amount of chances his team is creating and they did that but even when clear-cut opportunities came their way, the clinical touch is missing.
Never more so than two minutes before the home side went ahead.
Nicolas Jackson pickpocketed Matt Doherty in his own half and was clear through for a run at goal.
But Chelsea’s striker who has a habit of missing almost as many as he scores, could not maintain the pace and was easily caught and stopped in his tracks by a muscly challenge from Emmanuel Agbadou.
Had he followed through it could easily have been game over inside half an hour. But this is the story of Chelsea lately.
A whole chapter could be devoted to the issue of the keepers.
If it wasn’t Sanchez dropping a clanger it could just as easily have been his sidekick Filip Jorgensen.
Neither of them make for the most reassuring night at Stamford Bridge although Sanchez’s latest clanger was a belter.
Matheus Cunha’s corner swung into the box and Sanchez looked to have the danger covered only to lose control and lob it downwards towards the advancing Doherty.
The Wolves defender bulldozed in and bundled a shot over the line in front of the away end.
It goes down as Sanchez’s fourth mistake of the season, leaving him second only to struggling Ipswich’s Arijanet Muric for errors.
Chelsea’s second goal was key and turned the tide bang on the hour mark.
Cucurella started the move with a sideways pass to Cole Palmer, who then fed Madueke on the wing.
His cross, flicked on by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, found the Spanish left-back arriving just in time to slot the ball home with his second touch.
Cucurella’s goal celebration was the most significant aspect.
As he raced to the touchline he put one finger to his temple as a gesture to urge his team-mates to keep their heads from now on.
Wolves were wilting having fought to get back in and their hopes of an unexpected point away from home were over when Madueke nodded in from close range when Chalobah’s header was already going in.
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