A look back at the demolition of Wolves

A commanding performance by midfielder Michael Essien helped the Blues to a comfortable victory over the relegation-threatened Wolves. 

The win sees the Blues maintain a five-point gap over title contenders Manchester United and pull further away from Arsenal who fell to a Darren Bent goal away to Sunderland. 

Without the influential likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho the West Londoners were forced to utilise their strength in depth at the club. 

In an encouraging display by all squad members, Chelsea fans were even treated to a taste of the future prospects at their disposal, with Fabio Borini, Nemanja Matic and Gael Kakuta all featuring off the bench.

The victory over Wolves was the 12th in a row in all competitions at home, surpassing the previous record of 11 set between February 25 and September 17, 2006.

The clean sheet also saw the Blues equal the existing record of 10 consecutive games without conceding at home.

Florent Malouda opened the scoring in the fifth minute with an unstoppable effort that cannoned into the roof of the net from 25 yards, after Jody Craddock had miss-kicked the ball into his path.  Malouda then supplied a perfectly weighted corner for Essien to double the advantage in the 12th minute when stealing in at the near post to nod home.

The Ghanaian then got his second on 22 minutes when Salomon Kalou fed him with a short pass on the edge of the penalty area and Essien’s low drive went under Hennessey, which effectively put the result beyond doubt.

The league leaders made it four in the 56th minute and it was a welcome strike for the fit-again Cole.  The England midfielder, out for 10 months since January, side-footed the ball in after Anelka’s cross had been turned into his path by Kalou, although again Hennessey could have done better.  It was Cole’s first goal for the Blues since the win over Aston Villa back in October 2008.

Moments later Anelka made way for substitute Gael Kakuta to make his first-team debut.

In September, Chelsea were found guilty by FIFA of inducing Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens two years ago and punished them with a transfer ban until 2011, while suspending the player for four months.  But the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the bans until Chelsea’s case is heard in full and that allowed Kakuta to make his debut.

Essien then almost claimed a hat-trick in the 63rd minute but his shot was palmed onto the top of the bar by Hennessey.

Kakuta almost celebrated his debut with a goal but his 25-yard effort curled the wrong side of the upright.

Essien then sent a 20-yard drive just wide of the post as a hat-trick continued to elude him but Chelsea held on for a comfortable win and condemned Wolves to a second straight league drubbing to leave them languishing in the relegation zone.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with the result and in particular the style in which it was achieved without a good portion of his regular starting XI.

“This means that we have a very good squad. I can use all the players, also young players, which for a coach is the most important thing.”

The master tactician also anointed Essien as one of the best midfielders in the world after his man of the match performance.

“He can play everywhere in midfield with the same result. He has shown a lot of consistency this season and maintained a good physical condition. He is very strong but he also has a lot of quality.”

The comfortable outing was almost overshadowed by the 30 minute cameo appearance from the much-publicized Kakuta.

The youngster has had to burden some harsh criticism in recent times, something most burgeoning talents do not need to overcome before they are even given a chance to showcase their talents on the pitch.

Kakuta’s substitute appearance was much more than just a first team debut for an emerging academy prospect, it was his chance to win over the Chelsea faithful and prove he is every bit worth the furore over his transfer. 

And with the full support of his manager and all involved with the club, the 18-year-old is sure to excel and become a crowd favourite at Stamford Bridge in the near future.

By Joshua Kepreotis

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