Chelsea ease past Wolves as Diego Costa fails to fire on Stamford Bridge return

Diego Costa did not get the chance to say goodbye to the Chelsea support when he left the club under such a cloud in 2017 after his falling out with the manager at the time, Antonio Conte. The centre-forward was able to do so here – only not as he might have wanted.

Costa’s full debut for Wolves was low on impact and his team were 2-0 down and heading for another defeat when he saw his number go up on 56 minutes. To the arch-competitor, it must have stung.

Still, Costa decided to enjoy the moment. He was on the opposite side to the dugouts and so he took the scenic route around the pitch and in front of the Matthew Harding Stand as play resumed. After two Premier League titles and 52 goals in 89 league appearances for Chelsea, his place in the hearts of the fans is assured and how they serenaded him.

There were smiles from Costa, high fives for a few supporters, and quite what those in the visiting enclosure made of it is anyone’s guess.

Costa, though, was merely the sideshow, however entertaining. The story here was of another assured Chelsea performance, hard on the heels of the 3-0 Champions League win over Milan last Wednesday. That and Wolves’ continued travails in the final third.

They remain stuck on three league goals for the season, which was a big part of why they sacked Bruno Lage last Sunday. Under the interim manager, Steve Davis, they created a few good openings but it never looked as if they had the needed conviction. When Adama Traoré crossed for Costa’s replacement, Hwang Hee-chan, in the 70th minute, opportunity knocked. The space was there but the finish was weak. It summed things up for WolveS.

Chelsea were value for the victory, which was sparked by Kai Havertz’s looping header in first-half stoppage time. The goal actually went in after the allotted additional minutes; much to Wolves’ irritation. Christian Pulisic dinked in the second – his first of the campaign and one that will surely pep him – while Armando Broja, on as a substitute, rounded things off with his first for the club.

Graham Potter made wholesale changes from the starting lineup against Milan, retaining only three outfield players – Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount. There was no Reece James, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, among others. A gamble or a decision born of necessity, with the fixtures coming thick and fast? It was mainly the latter, with Potter keen to stress that he cannot rely on just 11 players. Either way, it worked.

Costa continues to look like the street fighter from his Chelsea days – socks rolled down slightly, all strutting aggression – and he almost shaped the game in the early running, peeling wide to cross for Matheus Nunes. The midfielder could not get a clean connection to his volley. That would be as good as it got for Costa.

Davis, whose options were affected by injury and suspension, revealed afterwards that he planned to withdraw Costa at half-time only to give him a little longer based on what the physical data analysts told him. As for what Davis himself does this week, he said he would keep going until told to stand down. Wolves intend to bring in Julen Lopetegui as Lage’s permanent successor.

Potter reverted to a back four, even though it was more of a three in possession, with the right-back, César Azpilicueta, pushed high. Azpilicueta was prominent in the first half, repeatedly finding spaces, and the frustration was building among the home support until Havertz scored.

The chances had come and gone for Chelsea, with Wolves riding their luck at times in their own area. José Sá saved smartly from Jorginho and brilliantly from Pulisic’s curler for the far, top corner. Chelsea could also point to an early Conor Gallagher effort that flashed past the far post and a Pulisic header which he sent high from an Azpilicueta cross.

The Havertz goal felt soft from a Wolves point of view, even if it was made by an excellent Mount cross, dug out from the right. Havertz went up with Nélson Semedo and Sá was wrongfooted by the looping header, which seemed to hang in the air for an age before dropping in.

Nunes was a bright spot for Wolves, a driving presence on the ball. His best moment came on 22 minutes when he released Gonçalo Guedes with a lovely pass after a surging run. Guedes was fouled on the edge of the area and João Moutinho worked Kepa Arrizabalaga from the free-kick.

Havertz should have had more in the second half, heading high and fluffing a one-on-one with Sá but, in between times, Mount teed up Pulisic with a lovely reverse pass. Broja had the final word, cutting inside Max Kilman to find the far corner.