If you thought 5-2 was a diet, think again. Chelsea’s surreal scoreline at Molineux saw each goal scored by the youngsters Frank Lampard has entrusted with weathering a season skewed by that recruitment ban.
Tammy Abraham’s hat-trick catapulted him to the top of the scorers’ tree, midfielder Mason Mount added another, and there was a debut goal for defender Fikayo Tomori; a curling shot which left Wolves keeper Rui Patricio gaping in astonishment.
But can the Blues pick up the momentum against Liverpool at the Bridge on Sunday, when youthful exuberance goes head to head with wily experience?
Both sides will have had the distraction of European action this week, with the Scousers’ expedition to Naples arguably more disruptive in terms of preparation to Chelsea’s hosting of Valencia.
Blues fans were on something of a high after the 2-5 victory against shell-shocked Wolves, a result which has vindicated Lampard’s faith in the crop of promising kids he first clocked as the sun set on his own playing career.
Abraham, Mount and Tomori are growing in confidence week by week, and seem to be feeding on each other’s burgeoning optimism and positivity.
Abraham is steadily beefing himself up from stringy beanpole to sinewy brawn-box. He has grown from a Chelsea sapling – carefully nurtured, watered and transplanted into other clubs’ fertile front lines – to a sturdy specimen combining nimble feet with the strength to hold off defenders. Frank is purring.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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