ByEurosport

Published 20/01/2025 at 23:14 GMT

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The victory for Enzo Maresca’s men lifted them back into the top four, and it was a special match for Chalobah.

The 25-year-old had spent the first half of the season out on loan at Crystal Palace, and at one point it appeared that he had no future under the current manager, who trimmed the squad at Stamford Bridge upon his arrival.

However, Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana have suffered serious injuries, leaving the club short at the back, and while Chelsea initially considered a bid for their former player Marc Guehi – also at Palace – they instead recalled Chalobah from his loan.

The match against Wolves was Chalobah’s first since his return, and he put in a commanding performance that saw him recognised as the man of the match.

Madueke was one of the goalscorers for Chelsea, and he told Sky Sports that his team-mate had played exceptionally, and influenced the rest of the side.

He said Chalobah was “unbelievable”: “Leadership, character, bravery on the ball. He slotted in seamlessly, so I am delighted for him.

“It is no coincidence with players like him and Reece [James] back in we won the game. 

“They are Chelsea through and through, and they helped us tonight with their leadership for sure.”

Maresca: ‘We need to learn to manage these situations better’

Maresca was impressed with the vast majority of the first half, but then pointed to a failure to manage the game.

Matt Doherty scored five minutes into first-half added time, with Chelsea recovering in the second half to win.

Speaking to the BBC, the Italian said: “For me the performance until 40 minutes was very good, then the last five minutes we struggled. They scored a goal, and we lost a bit of confidence, which was something that has happened a few times this season. 

“We need to learn to manage these situations better.

“In the second half we started well and scored the goals. Overall, I think we deserved to win the game.”

Chelsea now sit fourth in the league table, four points behind both Nottingham Forest and Arsenal, in third and second respectively.

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