Palmer hat-trick extends Rosenior's perfect Premier League start

Cole Palmer became the first player to register three Premier League first-half hat-tricks as Chelsea beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 to maintain Liam Rosenior's perfect Premier League record since taking over as head coach.

Palmer netted three goals in the space of just 25 minutes. After opening the scoring in the 13th minute, with the first of his two penalties, the midfielder had completed his treble by the 38th minute, as Chelsea took full control at Molineux.

Both of Chelsea's spot-kicks were won by Joao Pedro, who drew fouls from Matt Doherty and Yerson Mosquera.

Watch Palmer's first penalty v Wolves

Wolves improved after the interval, with Tolu Arokodare pulling a goal back after Mateus Mane hit a post, but Rob Edwards' side were unable to force a nervy finale.

Chelsea are fifth in the table, one point behind Manchester United in fourth, having won their first four Premier League matches under Rosenior.

Wolves, meanwhile, remain bottom, seven points adrift of 19th-placed Burnley and 15 points from top-flight safety.

How the match unfolded

Wolves were bright in the first few minutes and sent a barrage of crosses into the Chelsea area, but the floodgates opened after an unnecessary mistake as Doherty's foul on Joao Pedro allowed Palmer to find the bottom-right corner from the penalty spot.

Buoyed by that breakthrough, Chelsea penned the hosts back inside their own territory, with Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa getting a strong hand to Malo Gusto's near-post strike.

Palmer changed direction when converting his second spot-kick in the 35th minute, after Mosquera pushed Joao Pedro over just inside the area, and his third goal came soon afterwards when he finished high into the net following a cutback by Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella.

Watch Palmer's third goal v Wolves

Wolves almost pulled a goal back in the 54th minute, when Mane struck the post with the outside of his boot, but they were on the scoresheet 26 seconds later.

Mane's corner was flicked on at the near post by debutant Adam Armstrong, and Arokodare tucked home on the swivel from inside the six-yard box.

Former Wolves forward Pedro Neto had two late chances to mark his return to Molineux with a goal for Chelsea, but he headed wide from an excellent position and then rippled the side netting from a tight angle.

Wolves pay the penalty for first-half errors

Edwards understandably will not say so, but the coming weeks are about planning for a Championship promotion bid in 2026/27, after Wolves were cut adrift at the bottom of the table.

And there was a fresh feel to Wolves' line-up on Saturday, as Edwards handed full debuts to Deadline Day signings Armstrong and Angel Gomes, switching to a new-look 4-2-3-1 system.

But after Mane led a few promising attacks straight after kick-off, Wolves were left with a familiar sinking feeling, with Chelsea preying on their sloppy defensive errors.

Positioned on the left side of the area, Joao Pedro was going nowhere when Doherty carelessly tripped him from behind, and the Brazilian was in another unthreatening position when Mosquera shoved him to the ground for Chelsea's second spot-kick.

An injury to Hwang Hee-chan prompted Edwards to revert to a 3-5-2 shape before half-time, and Wolves were far more competitive after the interval, when Mane's guile and Arokodare's battering-ram style caused Chelsea difficulties.

Gomes' composed debut in central midfield provided Edwards with another positive, and Wolves fans will hope the midfielder's 80th-minute withdrawal was precautionary after he appeared to suffer from cramp.

Wolves face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Wednesday, and if they are to have any chance of a result, they cannot give their opponents another head start.

Historic first-half treble for Palmer

Rosenior faced questions over what many felt was a tentative approach to Tuesday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal, as his first chance to bring silverware to Chelsea fell by the wayside.

But if the head coach left the handbrake on for much of that match, he certainly released it at Molineux, albeit against very generous opponents.

There was never any doubt on either of the two occasions when Palmer stepped up to the penalty spot, and the England international was also in the right place at the right time to sweep home after former Wolves winger Neto fed Cucurella on the left flank.

Palmer is now the first player in Premier League history to score three first-half hat-tricks, having previously accomplished the feat against Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Chelsea were utterly dominant during the period in which Palmer got his goals, and the scoreline could have been even more handsome for the Blues.

Cucurella had a well-struck volley blocked by Doherty, and Enzo Fernandez was flagged offside when attempting a rabona finish during the ensuing scramble.

Chelsea took their foot off the gas in the second half and Rosenior will be disappointed by their failure to keep a clean sheet, but with a home fixture against Leeds United to come on Tuesday, he will fancy his chances of making it five top-flight wins from five.

Club reports

Wolves report | Chelsea report

What the managers said

Rob Edwards: We started really positively, and it was a real promising start, and then after a couple of ludicrous mistakes, against a top team with brilliant players, it’s going to be a really difficult day for us.

Liam Rosenior: “Some of our passages of play – obviously Cole gets the three goals – but some of our football was everything I want to see.

“Cole was a part of that and we know what a world-class player he is. He's played a lot of football over the last year with not much rest, but when he's at his best, he's unstoppable. I'm delighted to be working with him.”

Next five PL fixtures

Key facts

Wolves scored their first second half goal in 11 Premier League home matches, 469 second half minutes since their last such goal at Molineux in August 2025 against Everton.

Cole Palmer became just the second player in Premier League history to both score a hat-trick and provide 3+ assists in an away game against the same opponent (Wolves), after Raheem Sterling at West Ham.

Liam Rosenior became just the fourth permanent Chelsea manager to win his first four Premier League games in charge, after Jose Mourinho (August 2004), Carlo Ancelotti (August 2009) and Maurizio Sarri (September 2018).