By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Chelsea scraped through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Wolves at Molineux, but not before a scare orchestrated, in part, by Wolves’ Nigerian forward Tolu Arokodare. The match saw a flurry of goals, with the visitors taking a seemingly unassailable 3-0 lead into halftime, only for Wolves to launch a spirited second-half comeback. The youth of the Chelsea side, coupled with some defensive lapses, allowed the hosts back into the contest, making the final stages a nervy affair for the Blues faithful.
The first half was a showcase of attacking football from a much-changed Chelsea side under Enzo Maresca. Goals from Andrey Santos, scoring his first for the club after Tolu Arokodare was dispossessed in midfield, George, and an opportunistic strike from Estevao put Chelsea firmly in command. Despite the scoreline, the warning signs were there for the Blues, as Arokodare had already missed a good headed chance just before the break, a clear signal of the threat he posed. Chelsea’s dominance in the first 45 minutes came largely from exploiting space between Wolves’ midfield and defense, with the rapid wingers causing significant problems.
The second half began dramatically, with Tolu Arokodare wasting no time in seizing a lifeline for Wolves. Just four minutes after the restart, he capitalised on a Facundo Buonanotte error, guiding a calm finish past Filip Jorgensen to cut the deficit. This goal injected a renewed sense of belief into the home side, who pressed hard and exposed the inexperience of the Chelsea backline. David Møller Wolfe further reduced the arrears later in the half, turning a comfortable lead into a desperate defensive stand for the 10-man Blues (following a later red card for Liam Delap).
Ultimately, Chelsea’s early goals proved just enough to secure passage, but the match highlighted both the promise and vulnerability of Maresca’s youthful team. Tolu Arokodare’s immediate second-half goal was the catalyst for the Wolves comeback, demonstrating his clinical nature and strength as a centre-forward. He was a constant threat, troubling the Chelsea central defenders and turning a cruise into a nail-biting cup tie, forcing the Blues to rely on their first-half cushion.
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