Chelsea overcome Wolves in seven-goal Carabao Cup thriller

Chelsea overcome Wolves in seven-goal Carabao Cup thriller

Chelsea survived a late scare to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup round of 16, booking a place in the quarter-finals after a pulsating encounter at Molineux.

The Blues raced into a commanding 3-0 lead in the first half, courtesy of goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George and Estevao Willian. However, the second half saw a spirited fightback from Wolves, who responded through Tolu Arokodare and a brace from David Moller Wolfe.

Chelsea’s Jamie Gittens netted a crucial fourth to settle the tie, despite a nervy finish that included a red card for returning striker Liam Delap, who was sent off late on after receiving two yellow cards.

The visitors had taken control early, with Santos opening the scoring following a defensive error from Arokodare, whose misplaced 30-yard backpass gifted Chelsea the chance. George doubled the lead after a well-worked team move, and Willian added a third with a clever lob over goalkeeper Jose Sa just before the interval.

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Wolves fans voiced their frustration with chants against manager Vitor Pereira and the club’s Chinese owners, Fosun, as the team remained winless and rooted to the bottom of the league.

Pereira’s tactical changes, including the early withdrawal of defender Matt Doherty for Rodrigo Gomes and further half-time substitutions, sparked a turnaround. Hwang Hee-chan assisted Arokodare for Wolves’ first goal shortly after the break, and Wolfe’s volley from Yerson Mosquera’s long throw narrowed the deficit.

Chelsea were forced to introduce regular starters Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella, Pedro Neto and Moises Caicedo to steady the ship. Gittens restored the two-goal cushion with a stunning volley, but Wolfe responded almost immediately with a lob over Filip Jorgensen to set up a tense finale.

Despite the late pressure, Chelsea held on to advance to the last eight, where they will face League One side Cardiff City, the only non-Premier League team remaining in the competition.

Chelsea overcome Wolves in seven-goal Carabao Cup thriller