Chelsea were made to dig deep as they fought for their lives against a relentless Wolverhampton Wanderers side, eventually edging a pulsating 4–3 victory to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The dramatic clash saw Andrey Santos and Jamie Gittens both open their goal accounts for the Blues in a night of courage, resilience, and youthful brilliance.
The visitors exploded into life early at Molineux, taking the lead inside five minutes when Santos fired home confidently after fine build-up play. The goal set the tone for a blistering first-half performance that Wolves struggled to contain.
Rising star Jamie Gittens was instrumental in Chelsea’s dominance, assisting Santos’ opener before setting up Tyrique George just ten minutes later with a pinpoint pass that left the young forward with a simple tap-in.
Chelsea’s relentless press paid off again before halftime when Estevão pounced on a defensive lapse to loft the ball calmly over goalkeeper José Sá, giving the Blues a commanding 3–0 lead at the break.
But Wolves refused to surrender. The second half saw the momentum swing dramatically as Tolu Arokodare reduced the deficit with a 48th-minute strike, reigniting hope for the hosts. The pressure mounted, and with fifteen minutes left, David Møller Wolfe smashed home to make it 3–2, sending tension rippling through the Chelsea bench.
The situation worsened for Chelsea when returning forward Liam Delap was sent off after picking up two yellow cards, leaving the visitors to defend their lead with ten men.
Just when Wolves appeared poised for an equaliser, Gittens stepped up with a moment of brilliance — unleashing a stunning long-range strike to restore Chelsea’s two-goal cushion at 4–2.
Even then, the drama wasn’t over. Wolfe grabbed his second of the night in stoppage time, setting up a frantic finale, but Chelsea held firm to secure a hard-fought win and advance to the quarter-finals.
