Chelsea

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

In-form Chelsea are seeking a seventh successive home league win over Leeds United, whose most recent victory at Stamford Bridge came in December 1999.

Nonetheless, Leeds won this season's reverse fixture 3-1 and are looking to complete their first league double over Chelsea since the 1991-92 title-winning campaign.

Chelsea making most of favourable fixtures

Seven wins in nine games has been an impressive riposte by Liam Rosenior to those who questioned his appointment as Chelsea head coach five weeks ago. On Saturday, aided by Cole Palmer's club record fourth Premier League hat-trick, he became just the second English manager to win his first four matches in charge in the competition.

The first, Craig Shakespeare, went on to win his first five with Leicester City in 2017 but was sacked six months later. Rosenior will be well aware how quickly fortunes can turn.

Rosenior's lack of experience at a top-level club means he is considered by some to be a gamble. The odds have been in his favour so far thanks to a kind run of league fixtures; Leeds and Burnley are up next, meaning Chelsea will have played five top-flight games in a row against sides in the bottom six at the time.

Their record against teams in the lower part of the table is the third best in the division. The greater test for Rosenior and his players will be to sustain their form in the games that follow, starting on 1 March with a trip to Arsenal.

Whites flag on the road

Leeds United are one of two sides, along with Brighton, among the current bottom eight to have beaten Chelsea this season. That was a 3-1 victory for the Whites under the lights at Elland Road in December, and they made it five wins from five in night games at home this season by beating Nottingham Forest on Friday.

Manager Daniel Farke, who was understandably delighted with "a massive performance and a massive win", took four points from his two previous meetings with Rosenior when the latter was in charge at Hull City in the 2023-24 Championship season.

However, Leeds have only won two of their past 25 Premier League away fixtures – both against Wolves, in March 2023 and September this season.

They have seven away points this season from 12 games. Only Wolves and Burnley have a worse away record, and Leeds have earned a lower proportion of their points on the road than any other side in the division.

Leeds turned Chelsea over at Elland Road in December but they are not the same force away from home and this game smells of Chelsea revenge to me.

The Blues have made a good start under new boss Liam Rosenior, with four wins out of four in the league. Cole Palmer has hit form too, and they should win this fairly comfortably.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game against Leeds at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Reece James is fit but has been unwell so it is hoped he will be available. Cole Palmer is also fit for selection, as is Andrey Santos, who went off with a swollen ankle in the win at Wolves.

• He explained there is a "really detailed plan" in place for Romeo Lavia, who has trained with the team over the last two days. Rosenior said: "We have to make sure that when he's back, he's back for good."

• Rosenior was asked about his side easing off in performance level as games go on: "My aim is we play a really high level in every minute of every game. We've had a few conversations about that in recent days."

• On making an impression on players as a new head coach: "I think it's my job. It's always nice when players speak well of you. Most of the time they just want to stay in the team, so I take it with a smile. All of them, they are playing with a real enthusiasm at the moment, enjoying their football. At the moment things are looking good but you have to continue. The signs are looking really, really good for what we want to achieve together."

• He was asked where he sees Josh Acheampong in terms of position: "Josh is an amazing talent. In a month I have met him and his parents - you can see why he's a great lad as he's been brought up the right way. He has immense potential. What I like to do with all of my defenders, especially at the age they are, is put them in different positions as it improves them. Long-term Josh is a centre-back. He has all the attributes to be an outstanding centre-back. My job is to help him, to develop him."

• On Chelsea being more fluid in their style and if that is a specific instruction of his: "When you're the level of player I get to work with here, the reason they are top and elite is because they make great decisions in the moment. Being fluid has positives in terms of being unpredictable. But if you do not have the right structure behind that you can become really open in transition. It's trying to find a balance. I felt against Wolves there were some really pleasing aspects in our rotations. In the second half we didn't stay true to our structure. That's one of the reasons why our performance wasn't as good in the second half."

• Rosenior warned Leeds were "magnificent" in their win over Nottingham Forest and direct in their play, adding: "We need to stand up to that and overcome that."

• The head coach says he has had to rotate players as a result of the long season after the summer's Club World Cup: "You have to try to freshen up the team mentally and physically."

• He was asked about player welfare given Chelsea's players won the Club World Cup, then faced a full season and then a World Cup: "I think so, if I'm being honest, these lads are fantastic professionals - they live for their job which is so important. You want the best product possible. We have to find a way where we can find the right balance between the two."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea should not have been awarded a penalty for handball in their 3-1 win at Crystal Palace last month, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has said.

With Chelsea leading 2-0, Palace defender Jaydee Canvot blocked Joao Pedro's goal-bound shot with his arm.

Referee Darren England allowed play to continue but was sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR), Matt Donohue.

England watched replays on the screen for almost two minutes, and BBC Sport understands he took a lot of persuading.

The five members of the KMI Panel unanimously voted that the original on-field decision was correct and it was a mistake for the VAR to intervene.

It can be a confusing area of law.

The Ifab expressly says that an arm stopping the ball from entering the goal should not automatically be a penalty. There has to be a handball offence.

Yet in its briefings, Uefa has told referees it always expects a spot-kick.

In the Premier League, officials are told to have some discretion over arm position.

The KMI Panel felt the VAR intervention was incorrect because Canvot "is not making his body unnaturally bigger" and that there was a "small deflection off the hip".

It added: "The VAR intervention and final outcome after the on-field review, which resulted in a penalty and yellow card for a non-deliberate handball offence that denied an obvious goal, was considered to be incorrect."

Yet on Saturday, Newcastle conceded a penalty against Brentford, given on-field by referee Andy Madley, for handball by Jacob Murphy.

It was very similar in nature. A shot on target, stopped by an arm quite close to the body.

However, the Brentford penalty is likely to be judged to be a correct decision.

The Murphy handball had no deflection on to the arm, he was facing the shot and appeared to move his arm into the path of the ball in a non-deliberate way.

You can understand why fans might struggle to see the difference.

Laura Kenyon
Final Score reporter at Molineux

Image source, Getty Images

As Chelsea heaped more misery on relegation favourites, Wolves, a milestone was marked for the new Chelsea boss.

Liam Rosenior has become just the second English manager in Premier League history to win their first four games in charge.

Seven wins from his first nine in all competitions looks good on paper. But what really impresses is the words of the players. An air of positivity suggesting full buy-in for the Rosenior philosophy.

"Liam is amazing, he gives us all confidence", were the words of hat-trick hero Cole Palmer. And Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was equally glowing about Rosenior's "energy".

You could see that energy when stood in his technical area at Molineux, soaked through, soggy notepad in hand, shouting instructions in the pouring rain.

While it is still early days - and Chelsea will face far tougher challenges than Wolves - there is no doubting Rosenior is a big personality making an impact, not just in west London, but in the Premier League full stop.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Wolves and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Wolves fans

Tony: A dreadful performance. An inadequate display by all players. Wolves create their own problems by continually passing the ball back to their goalkeeper and then continually failing to get the ball into the opposition's half. All this achieves is losing the ball and then opponents take advantage of the Wolves team, who are running backwards and can't keep them at bay. Abysmal.

Col: Laughing stock of the Premier League. Can we just forfeit our remaining games? Sooner we are relegated the better.

Dan: Six years ago we were playing in Europe. What followed was a lack of investment and selling our best players - and the result is the owners sending the club back to the Championship. I don't blame all the managers that have come and gone - I blame their employers. What's the point of purchasing a football club if you have got no drive or ambition for success?

Wol: We lost the game in the first half with stupid defending. We started well but once we conceded it was just a matter of how many they would score. I left at half-time and missed the second half. Apparently we played better then, but it was too late. We have been terrible all season and I can't wait for it to end. Hopefully we won't be ripped off by the prices of season tickets for the Championship, but I doubt Fosun will think about the fans.

Chelsea fans

Nick: Hardly the most scintillating performance - apart from Cole Palmer's cool penalties and well-taken third goal - but it didn't need to be. Conditions were absolutely awful. Did enough in the first half to coast through the second. With two far more physical and testing games to come on Tuesday and Friday, this win at a canter was ideal.

Danny: We were expected to win, and we did. Seven victories out of nine games is good but I'm not getting carried away with this improvement in results. The players seem to be enjoying it more under Liam Rosenior, but the passing needs to be quicker and more accurate. Saturday's line-up, albeit without Reece James, was strong and had good balance. Onwards and upwards with more expansive front-foot football please. Certain players will be moved on in the summer - Liam Delap, Benoit Badiashile and Alejandro Garnacho.

Alan: It was a great game until the second half. After the break, we just seemed to lack any energy and motivation. Palmer is not yet match fit but was on fire. Another match when the defence was a disorganised mess - it really needs sorting out. Against a better team, we would have struggled to win with such an error-strewn defence.

Kevin: Palmer is the first Premier League player to score three first-half hat-tricks. Ice, Ice Baby. A great first half meant we didn't need to waste energy in the second. Four wins in four for Rosenior. KTBFFH.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 1-1 Aston Villa

• Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland

• Newcastle 2-3 Brentford

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "First half was everything you want in an away performance at this level. Our pressing was very good, our patterns with the ball was outstanding. We put ourselves in a really really strong position.

"Second half, we want more. Our standards dropped. It's difficult because the conditions weren't great. It was a difficult day for both teams in terms of the pitch, in terms of the rain. Overall, very very happy with an away three points."

On taking control after Wolves' bright start: "We kept the ball and made passes and were able to take up attacking positions. And once we did, we looked a very, very good team. Obviously delighted for Cole [Palmer]. There's been a lot of talk around him, about how happy he is - he looked happy today with his three goals. But we could have scored more in the first half and we need to keep improving."

"There's a lot of positives. But I want us to keep focusing on what we can improve. We've got a difficult game on Tuesday against a strong Leeds team."

More on Palmer: "Cole [Palmer] loves playing football. I love watching. Not just him - the whole team. When they're in the mood and when they do the right thing and their mentality is right, they're an outstanding group of players. And Cole is definitely someone that we want on the pitch more often than not. And hopefully he can stay fit now."

Cole Palmer speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It felt good to score some goals and get three points.

"I don't think [I'm 100% fit] just yet. Obviously people don't know what goes on behind the scenes but being injured the whole season is not ideal and when I'm not able to perform as I want to because I've been injured, and still dealing with the injury, but hopefully I can get over the injury soon by managing it. I know what level I can provide when I feel 100% fit."

On Liam Rosenior: "Life under Liam is amazing, he gives us all confidence. Lets us be ourselves, play free. I'm sure when I'm back proper fit you'll see the best of me."

On his celebration: "Everyone loves to chat rubbish, don't they? I don't pay too much attention to it. You see things. But I feel like I've come from a strong place anyway so I don't pay attention to it."

Did you know?

• Rosenior became just the fourth permanent Chelsea manager to win his first four Premier League games in charge, after Jose Mourinho (August 2004), Carlo Ancelotti (August 2009) and Maurizio Sarri (September 2018).

• Cole Palmer became just the second player in Premier League history to both score a hat-trick and provide 3+ assists in an away game against the same opponent (Wolves), after Raheem Sterling at West Ham.

• almer became the first player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks in the first half of a match (also vs Everton and Brighton), while his four hat-tricks overall are the most of any Chelsea player in the competition

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

After sparkling for Chelsea in 2025-26, this has been a tougher season for Cole Palmer with injury and a lack of form meaning he only had a handful of goals to show before Saturday.

But this was a display reminiscent of the Palmer of last season - cool and clinical with his finishes while generally getting involved with many of the hosts' attacks.

It is the third time in his Chelsea career he has scored a first-half hat-trick.

Palmer was taken off 15 minutes into the second half as the club continues to carefully manage his minutes while he is working his way back to full fitness following a groin injury.

But, with the 2026 World Cup coming up in four months and England playing their final two friendlies before the tournament in North America in March, this was a timely reminder to both club and country of the talent he possesses.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Bar a minor miracle, Wolves will be playing Championship football next season - but performances since 30 December have given their fans some cause for optimism.

They went four games unbeaten - winning two and drawing two - while producing some encouraging displays.

However, it is now three defeats in a row for Rob Edwards' side and their performance in the first half of this game was a reminder there is still plenty of work for them to do as poor defending - particularly with the two penalties - killed the game for them.

Matt Doherty needlessly clipped Joao Pedro inside the box for the first, before Yerson Mosquera shoved over the striker for the second.

Wolves were much better after the break, showing plenty of fight and desire, but by then the damage had been done.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Wolves' performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Sunday for a selection of your replies

Wolves boss Rob Edwards gives new signings Adam Armstrong and Angel Gomes their debuts. Matt Doherty also returns to the starting eleven.

Wolves XI: Sa, Doherty, H Bueno, S Bueno, J Gomes, Armstrong, Hwang, Arokodare, Mosquera, Mane, A Gomes.

Subs: Johnstone, Lima, R Gomes, Tchatchoua, Wolfe, Krejci, Andre, Rawlings, Bellegarde.

There's two changes for Chelsea as Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto come back into the first XI.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Andrey Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro

Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Acheampong, Sarr, Badiashile, Hato, Garnacho, Estevao Willian, Guiu, Delap

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Man Utd v Tottenham (12:30)

• Arsenal v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Bournemouth v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Burnley v West Ham

• Fulham v Everton

• Wolves v Chelsea

• Newcastle v Brentford (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra with second half on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Bournemouth v Aston Villa" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Sunderland", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests.

His guest for week 25 is Gladiators star Apollo, real name Alex Gray, who supports Newcastle.

Sutton says: Chelsea were accused of being too negative in their Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal in midweek, but I can't see that being the case here.

I was far too optimistic about Wolves last week when I said they would draw with Bournemouth and I am not making the same mistake this time.

The games have been coming thick and fast for Chelsea and I actually admire their manager Liam Rosenior for the way he changed things up in their comeback win over West Ham.

Wolves boss Rob Edwards has probably got one eye on preparing for next season in the Championship, and his side will be one step nearer to that after this game.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Apollo's prediction: 1-2

AI's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior is looking to become just the second English manager in Premier League history to win his first four games in charge when his side visit bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

A win in the Black Country would edge him towards Craig Shakespeare's record of five with Leicester City between February and April 2017.

Four successive league victories is something his predecessor Enzo Maresca only managed once across his 57 games, winning five on the bounce in November and December 2024.

Rosenior has won six of his first eight matches in all competitions, with both losses coming in the two-legged League Cup semi-final against Arsenal.

Cold snap for Palmer

How best to use Cole Palmer is something Rosenior has had to contend with during his whirlwind start to life in the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

In the England midfielder's last 16 top-flight games of the 2024–25 season, he scored one goal – a penalty against Liverpool – while in 13 league games this campaign, he has scored just twice from open play.

After a blistering start to life in west London, when Palmer scored a seriously impressive 43 goals in his first two seasons, injuries have meant a stop-start campaign this time around.

The numbers show that the fifth-placed Blues have fared better from an attacking and defensive point of view when he has not been in the team this season.

Wolves on the wane again

Wolverhampton Wanderers' mini-revival under Rob Edwards, which saw them go four league games unbeaten over the new year period, is very much over now they're on a run of three straight defeats.

They haven't found the net in those three games and with one of last season's stalwarts, Jorgen Strand Larsen, departing for Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day, they find themselves without their top two goalscorers from last season.

Adam Armstrong has joined from Southampton, but even with his addition the entire Wolves squad combined has just 69 all-time Premier League goals to its name - only promoted Sunderland come off worse.

A protest by Wolves fans against the club's ownership saw thousands of them boycott the first 15 minutes of a 4-1 defeat to Manchester United at Molineux in December. They could be forgiven for staging a repeat after the half-time whistle.

Wolves haven't scored a second-half goal in any of their last 10 league home games. Only three sides have ever had a longer spell without a home goal in the second half of a match; Everton are the worst offenders, with a run of 13 ending in January 1999.

Curiously, the arrival of Angel Gomes on loan from Marseille means Edwards now has four players called Gomes to choose from – captain Toti, midfielder Joao and winger Rodrigo, which is sure to be music to the ears of commentators everywhere.

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves at Molineux (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Rosenior is not sure if Reece James and Pedro Neto will be fit enough to feature against Wolves and both will be assessed before Saturday.

• Winger Jamie Gittens has a tear in his hamstring and will be out "a little bit more long-term", but Rosenior believes Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian will be able to play a full 90 minutes if required.

• Asked about Palmer specifically, Rosenior said: "Not just with Cole, with all of the players, we have the very best medical team, sports science team and we do many tests. We want to make sure these players can play at the level they need to play at to help us win. In terms of Cole, there isn't a timeframe that he's going to be perfect in a month or two months, it's game to game and that's the way we've been working with him."

• The Chelsea boss added: "He's bought in and been magnificent. He wants to be playing every minute of every game, we know the player and the character that he is, but he's also maturing and he understands the bigger picture, which is his career."

• Continuing on a similar theme, Rosenior said he will do what he can to protect his players' "wellbeing" after a busy schedule in recent months: "I'm very conscious that the lads played at the Club World Cup and went through the summer with no break. They've got to play so many games - our schedule has been crazy - then they have World Cups to go to and international games to play. I want to make sure the wellbeing is correct for these players and for their careers as well."

• On facing bottom club Wolves: "We prepare in exactly the same way that we would for any game we play. They've put in some very positive performances in their past few games."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news