wolves 4-0

Sunday Times
Chelsea pass Wolves into submission

Chelsea 4 Wolves 0
Nick Townsend at Stamford Bridge

THE worrying thing for Chelsea’s rivals is not only did the established luminaries embark on a record-breaking afternoon against Wolves, but Carlo Ancelotti used the opportunity to usher in a propitious future.
Just before the hour, Gael Kakuta, the French teenager signed from Lens in 2007, whose manager has laden him with heady expectation, claiming “the best I’ve seen at his age”, made his entrance. It had been the accusation of inducement when he signed that led to the club’s transfer ban, suspended until an appeal hearing. By the end of this mis-match he had delivered two decent crosses and come close to opening his Chelsea account. “In 30 minutes today he showed he has a lot of talent,” said Ancelotti. “But we have to stay calm. He is young and he has to improve.”
Kakuta, 18, was followed into the fray by lanky 21-year-old Serbian, Nemanja Matic, followed by another 18-year-old, Fabio Borini, who admittedly already had the luxury of featuring for one minute as a Premier League substitute earlier in the season. Now all were relishing the experience of the Blues in imperious form — and that, despite the absence of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Deco and Michael Ballack.
The match had been rendered a non-contest by midway through the first half, by which time an early opener from Florent Malouda, and a brace from Michael Essien, in inspirational form, had placed the game way beyond the visitors. “One of the most important midfield players in the world,” Ancelotti agreed, before enthusing about Essien’s strength and quality. Joe Cole added a fourth; his first in this injury-riven calendar year.
“We have had a lot of injuries before the match, but our play was the same,” insisted Ancelotti. “It was important that we could put young players into the team — in January we may not need to buy other players.”
In the Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea haven’t been traditional new year buyers. In only three of the past six years have they purchased players, notably in 2008 when Avram Grant persuaded the Russian to pay more than £27m for a trio including Nicolas Anelka. On that occasion, Chelsea lost players to the African Cup of Nations, and the same applies this January when Drogba, Essien, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel are scheduled to depart.
However, fear of the longer-term unknown — and the likelihood that they may ultimately face a two-window transfer suspension — may persuade Chelsea to replenish stocks in January, with possible targets including Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero, Brazilian teenager Alex Teixeira, Everton’s defensive midfielder Jack Rodwell and Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery.
It would be tempting to contend that, on this evidence, Chelsea scarcely require reinforcements. However, they are unlikely to face too many sides as impoverished in defensive prowess as yesterday’s visitors, who obliged their hosts’ desire to record a 12th consecutive victory at home in all competitions, overcoming the previous best, recorded in 2006. What’s more, they haven’t conceded at Stamford Bridge since Hull City scored in the first fixture of the season; 10 games ago. It was in 1927 that Chelsea last achieved such a feat. Yet, no one can deem Ancelotti’s men defence-orientated this term. They are the Premier League team with the most shots on and off target, and yesterday only added further to that statistic, testing Wolves’ Wayne Hennessey from all ranges and angles. Four was meagre reward for Chelsea’s attempts.
A lugubrious Mick McCarthy was in concessionary mood beforehand — or was it gamesmanship? — as he acknowledged that his team were up against “the best team — maybe the best in Europe and best in the world — with the best players and best manager, up against a load of rookies . . . managed by someone who’s been in the PL for one season, and had the sack”. By the end, after a damage-limitation policy had ensured a thorough rout had been avoided, he conceded: “We weren’t expecting anything. We came here, tried to do our best, and have been slapped.”
His team could have scored first. Matthew Jarvis broke down the right, and David Edwards slid in but failed to convert. Then Jody Craddock’s wayward clearance allowed Malouda to stride forward and unleash a venomous left-footed drive from outside the area that gave Hennessey no chance. Then, from a Malouda corner, Essien nodded in at the near post. Chelsea were soon away and clear. Salomon Kalou set up Essien and he drove home, though Hennessey was culpable. His manager, who had joined the clamour regarding Thierry Henry’s part in the week’s big talking point, had jested his side might need a handball to win it. Stronger hands from his goalkeeper would have helped.
Wolves continued to threaten on occasional sorties, particularly with the excellent crossing of Jarvis. Richard Stearman just failed to head home one of his precise centres. Before the interval, Petr Cech performed with athleticism to turn aside a Sylvan Ebanks-Blake header. Any thoughts Wolves had of creating an impact were negated after the interval when Anelka’s cross found Kalou, who set up Joe Cole. Again Hennessey’s handling was at fault, but at least he did superbly later to frustrate Essien, turning his effort on to the bar. Essien twice went close after that, and Kakuta wasn’t far off target.
The end couldn’t come too soon for McCarthy. Someone asked him why his men had turned out in white, rather than gold. “Brilliant!” he boomed. “The shirt’s s*** — and we got beat.” It just about summed up his day.
Star man: Michael Essien (Chelsea)
Yellow cards: Wolves: Craddock, Keogh
Referee: L Mason
Attendance: 41,786

CHELSEA: Cech 7, Belletti 6, Alex 7, Terry 7, A Cole 6, Mikel 6, Essien 8, Malouda 7 (Matic 68min), J Cole 6, Anelka 6 (Kakuta 58min, 6), Kalou 7 (Borini 78min)
WOLVES: Hennessey 5, Stearman 6, Craddock 5, Berra 6, Halford 5, Edwards 5, Castillo 5 (Kightly 52min, 5), Henry 5, Surman 6, Jarvis 7, Ebanks-Blake 6 (Keogh 61min)

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

By Gerry Cox at Stamford Bridge

For most teams, losing the spine of your side through injuries to four international superstars might cause a problem or two.
But Chelsea overcame the loss of Didier Drogba, Deco, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack to rack up a comfortable win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, increasing their lead at the top of the Premiership and setting a new club record of 12 successive home victories.
They also equalled an 82-year-old record for the most successive clean sheets - 10 - at Stamford Bridge.
The game was effectively over as a contest with barely a quarter of the allotted time gone. Malouda opened the scoring in the fifth minute, although the move that led to his goal originated in a last-ditch clearance by the Chelsea defence.
Matt Jarvis, the Wolves forward, found plenty of space down the right and measured a low cross into the centre of goal where David Edwards was sliding in but unable to make contact.
Instead the ball was cleared upfield, Jody Craddock's poor clearance fell to Malouda, and the Frenchman advanced unchecked as the Wolves defenders stood off, allowing him to rifle in a shot with his left foot from 30 yards that flew past Wayne Hennessey.
Michael Essien made it 2-0 after 12 minutes, rising unmarked at the near post to head home Malouda's corner, and then scored again in the 21st minute.
The Ghanaian midfielder started a flowing move that involved Ashley Cole and Malouda before Essien drove a shot from the edge of the penalty area through a crowd of players.
Hennessey got a hand to the ball but could not do enough to stop it, and it was a similar story when Joe Cole increased Chelsea's lead 10 minutes into the second half.
Nicolas Anelka, taking the main striker's role in the absence of Drogba, sent in a low cross from the left, Salomon Kalou laid the ball back and Cole hit a low shot from the edge of the penalty area, with Hennessey again getting a hand to the ball but failing to prevent it crossing the line.
Minutes later Carlo Ancelotti chose to introduce the first - and most significant - of three young substitutes, Gael Kakuta, the French teenager whose transfer from Lens led to Fifa banning Chelsea from transfer activity, a punishment currently suspended.
Kakuta showed with his first few touches exactly why he was coveted by Chelsea, as the Blues rained more efforts on Hennessey's goal.
Essien, striving for his hat-trick, had a dipping volley from 30 yards tipped on to the bar by Hennessey and then hit the sidenetting from long distance, Kakuta shot just wide and Kalou wasted a good chance when he beat the offside trap but shot high over the bar.
In the end it was exhibition stuff from Chelsea, while Wolves were on a damage limitation exercise, and when the news came through that second-placed Arsenal were losing at Sunderland, there was a loud cheer from the home fans.
Heady days indeed.

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Independent:

Essien provides drive for rampant Chelsea

Chelsea 4 Wolverhamption Wanderers 0:

Ghanaian midfielder scores twice to make light of absentees as Wolves are consigned to role of relegation scrappers

By Conrad Leach at Stamford Bridge

There was a player named Henry on the pitch but Wolverhampton Wanderers would have needed 11 of them and maybe even a few more if they were ever going to extract anything from this game. Unfortunately the visitors' Henry – Karl – was peripheral, which applied to Mick McCarthy's men as a whole. Chelsea were rampant in what was their 12th consecutive home win in all competitions.
Wolves rarely had the chance to do anything as devious as Thierry Henry did for France in midweek, but if they had been inclined to cheat anywhere on the pitch, then stopping Michael Essien should have been top of their priorities. The Ghana midfielder scored twice in 10 minutes, after Florent Malouda had broken the deadlock and sent Chelsea on the way to their 1,000th League win at Stamford Bridge.
Combined with a defence that has not conceded a League goal at home since the first day of the season, they took another step towards a third title in six years.
Asked to comment on Essien, coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "Essien is one of the most important players in midfield in the world. He can play in the right and the centre with the same result. This season he maintains a good condition and is very strong with a lot of quality."
Chelsea were, in theory, a diminished force, after the international matches had ruled out Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho. Yet Wolves never found any gaps.
Even if David Edwards had scored from Andrew Jarvis's cross after four minutes, rather than failing to make contact in front of the open net, that would have been nothing more than a minor irritation to Ancelotti's side.
One of those to profit from Chelsea's list of absentees was Malouda, present in Paris against Ireland when Thierry Henry intervened and therefore another Frenchman with a World Cup to look forward to.
Edwards's miss jolted Chelsea out of any complacency. A Wolves header fell to Malouda inside the centre circle and the winger moved forward 20 yards and, with no one inclined to close him down, he found the top corner of Wayne Hennessey's net from a similar distance. It was a fine strike but Wolves had time to challenge him.
Essien's first goal involved less effort than Malouda's strike but showed Wolves's defence up once more. From a corner taken by Malouda, Essien moved easily free of his marker to head home from eight yards. McCarthy criticised his players for the first two goals and said: "At 2-0 it was a done deal. We're in a relegation battle now."
Chelsea's next goal saw the visitors again undone from distance. Salomon Kalou slipped his pass to Essien and the Wolves centre-backs were more like rabbits in the headlights, freezing as the former Lyon player struck his shot from 20 yards under the goalkeeper. Hennessey denied him a hat-trick in the second half.
Wolves did see Sylvan Ebanks-Blake force a good save from Petr Cech before the interval but were against a Chelsea side who were as fluent here as they had been dogged in beating Manchester United a fortnight ago.
The last two games between these sides, five years ago, provided 10 goals for the London club and Chelsea are on the way to a possible repeat this season. The fourth strike was their best team move, as Nicolas Anelka glided down the left and passed to Kalou, who laid the ball back for Joe Cole. The England international sidefooted his first goal for 13 months, although Hennessey should have kept it out after getting a hand on the shot.
Chelsea gained more encouragement as Gaël Kakuta, the player around whom the club's recently-lifted transfer ban revolved, made a sprightly debut in attack. Ancelotti praised his contribution and claimed Chelsea would not dip into the transfer market in January.
They will lose four players to the African Nations Cup in the new year. Their title rivals, fast disappearing in the rear-view mirror, can only hope Ancelotti is true to his word. It is their only hope.
Attendance: 41,786
Referee: Lee Mason
Man of the match: Essien
Match rating: 6/10

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Observer:

Chelsea maintain their Premier League lead after giving Wolves a savaging

Chelsea 4 Malouda 5, Essien 12, Essien 22, Cole, J 56 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0
Sachin Nakrani at Stamford Bridge

The only consolation for Wolves in the teeming west London rain was that they did not emulate their predecessors. The last time the Midlands club were in the Premier League they conceded five goals on each of the two occasions they faced Chelsea. The final tally was one fewer this time around, but that should in no way disguise the utter domination of Carlo Ancelotti's side on a day they revelled as champions-elect.
A 12th consecutive home victory, a club record, was achieved with minimum fuss and remarkable class. The league leaders lacked key performers in Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba through injury, yet lost none of their commitment and, on numerous occasions, displayed eye-stretching movement. It was almost impossible, for example, to define Ashley Cole as a full-back, Michael Essien as a midfielder or Nicolas Anelka as a striker, such were the varied and numerous positions they took up on the pitch.
There was individual joy, too, for Joe Cole who scored his first goal for the club in 13 months following recovery from a knee injury. His was a roaming and penetrative display throughout the 90 minutes. "Every game he is improving," said Ancelotti of the midfielder. "That is good for us as he can do a good job for the team in the position he plays."
Freed to play his more natural attacking game, thanks to the absence of Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack, Michael Essien was an all-action, pitch-encompassing presence against Wolverhampton - capping his performance with two goals. Compare this Saturday's display with his more limited role against Manchester United, when Lampard played, at the start of the month. In truth, those words could have been expressed about every man in blue.
Returning from an international break and seeing only relegation-fodder in front of them, Chelsea could have allowed complacency to mark their approach to this fixture. Instead, though, they were ruthless from the start.
Florent Malouda opened the scoring after five minutes with a rasping left-footed drive following Jody Craddock's weak header before Essien secured two further goals in the space of 10 minutes, the first a free header from Malouda's inswinging corner and the second a low drive from the edge of the area following Salomon Kalou's sideways pass. "He is one of the most important midfielders in the world," Ancelotti said of Essien later. On the basis of this performance, it was hard to disagree.
The hosts created further chances, most notably though Malouda and Alex, before Cole sealed the rout. After that, the home supporters' loudest cheer was reserved for news of Arsenal's defeat at Sunderland. It had, for them, been a perfect afternoon.
Not so for the visitors who passed the ball well at times and could have taken the lead had David Edwards connected with a fourth-minute cross from the impressive Matthew Jarvis. But ultimately they remain 19th having conceded four times for the second successive game. Next up is the potentially crucial visit of local rivals Birmingham.
"I was happy to get nil in the end," said the Wolves manager Mick McCarthy, joking.
Indeed, such was the hosts' dominance that they could afford to bring on a trio of youngsters, none more notable than Gael Kakuta, the 18-year-old whose arrival at Stamford Bridge led to Fifa imposing a transfer ban on the club in September.
The French teenager impressed in the 30 minutes he was given by Ancelotti and the manager later made him the third player he singled out for praise.
"He has a lot of talent and he showed in this game what he can do," said the Italian. "For two or three weeks after the ban [was announced] he had some difficulties because he is young. But he is training and playing with the first-team now and we feel sure he will do better in the future."

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Mail:

Chelsea 4 Wolves 0: New wonder boy worth all the fuss as Blues canter to win

By Malcolm Folley

Gael Kakuta, a teenager entrapped in a controversy involving the mandarins from Fifa, delivered a 31-minute cameo on a rainswept afternoon that shone a bright light on the future havoc he can be expected to wreak in a Chelsea shirt.He was comfortable on the ball, fast, intelligent in his decision making and could easily have marked his debut with a goal, as Chelsea dealt with the absence of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack with comfort at Stamford Bridge.Perhaps it is as well that Kakuta looked more than a shade decent; it would have been an awful embarrassment to report otherwise considering the trouble his arrival caused.
Frenchman Kakuta, 18, was allowed to play yesterday as the four-month ban imposed on him by Fifa in September - after Chelsea had been found guilty of inducing him to break his contract with Lens two years ago - has been lifted while the leaders of the Premier League present an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Critically, under the appeal, Chelsea will also be permitted to undertake business in the transfer window in January, having been originally banned from registering new players for 12 months.Kakuta has been wisely managed and counselled, by Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti through circumstances that must be overwhelming for a young player in a foreign land.‘For two or three weeks, Kakuta had some difficulties with the ban,’ said Ancelotti. ‘But we took him with the first team and he trained with us. In 30 minutes today, he showed a very big talent.'But we have to stay calm with him; he’s very young and we hope and believe he will improve and be a big player.’His introduction showed a young man intuitively aware on a football field and he had been barely involved for three minutes when he swerved past Richard Stearman inside the penalty area only to sweep a left-footed shot into the side netting.Nine minutes from time, Kakuta unleashed a drive from 25 yards that flashed narrowly wide of an upright. He had shown us a glimpse of the outstanding promise Ancelotti has identified.
Yet the driving force at the heart of another comprehensive Chelsea victory was Michael Essien. He scored twice after Florent Malouda had put them ahead, in between running the game with his strength, power and inventive mind.Ancelotti recognised the enormity of Essien’s contribution through the season, not merely against a Wolves team staring at a long winter to survive in the Premier League, when he said: ‘Michael is one of the most important midfield players in the world.‘He can play on the right or in the centre, with the same results. He provides a lot of continuity for the team; he maintains a good physical condition, he’s strong, but he also has a lot of quality.’Ancelotti’s ability to allow two other young players, Nemanja Matic, a 21-year-old, 6ft 4in Serb and 18-year-old Italian Fabio Borini, to have some valuable game time, as well as Kakuta, brought him encouragement that Chelsea’s strident football need not be seriously compromised when Essien, Drogba, Salomon Kalou and John Mikel depart for the African Cup of Nations in January.‘We had a lot injuries before this game today, but our play was the same,’ he said. ‘In January, we may not even need to buy other players.’
At least the return to fitness of Joe Cole is akin to having a new, hugely skilled attacking player.He scored Chelsea’s fourth goal, his first in 2009. With guile, hard work and an ability to play the game at great pace, Chelsea have now established a club record with 12 consecutive victories at Stamford Bridge.And for good measure, this was the 10th game they have played at Stamford Bridge without conceding a goal, an effort comparable to the Chelsea team of 1927.Wolves manager Mick McCarthy said: ‘We are in a relegation fight, make no bones about it. I’ve just said to the lads, you might as well realise that now rather than a few weeks.‘We came here full of hope, tried our best, but got slapped. But this ain’t going to knock the spirit out of them; because it’s not right to judge us against a side like Chelsea.’

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NOTW:

RAMPANT ESSIEN FEEDS WOLVES TO THE DOGS

Chelsea 4 Wolves 0

By Rob Shepherd

MICHAEL ESSIEN was dubbed The Train by Jose Mourinho and called The Bison by Guus Hiddink - but Carlo Ancelotti has yet to come up with a nickname for the Ghanaian.
"For me his is just Michael," said a deadpan Ancelotti.
Given that Chelsea's Italian boss is apparently enjoying picking up Cockney rhyming slang, he might think of dubbing Essien The Dogs.
As in the dogs b******s because that's what Essien was as he inspired this emphatic victory, which emphasised the strength of Chelsea's squad and their title credentials.
In the absence of the injured Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba, Essien took on the role of talisman in some style.
He scored twice - it might have been five - and was the constant energiser as the Blues chalked up another home win to set a new record.
This was 12 wins on the spin at the Bridge, beating the previous best in 2006.
And 10 consecutive clean sheets equals a record dating back to 1927 as Essien caned Mick McCarthy's struggling side.
The game was gone in 60 seconds
In the fourth minute, Wolves should have taken the lead.
Striker Matthew Jarvis wheeled out on to the right wing, surged past Ashley Cole and sent over the most inviting of low crosses, which cut out Chelsea keeper Petr Cech.
Midfielder David Edwards had raced into the box but his lack of anticipation meant he slid in a fraction too late when he should been there to meet the ball and toe poke home.
And within a minute Chelsea, or rather Florent Malouda, swept up the other end to opening the scoring - and effectively end the contest.
Jody Craddock made a complete hash of what should have been a routine clearance when he dollied an Alex hoof straight to Malouda's feet inside the centre circle.
Despite the error, there should have been plenty of time for Craddock and the rest of the Wanderers defence to recover - but their frailty was being brutally exposed.
Malouda did nothing other than make a bee line for goal, not believing his luck that Craddock and Richard Stearman. kept on back pedalling.
The France winger kept on going and going until he was 20 yards out when it suddenly dawned on the Wolves defender it might be an idea to put a challenge in.
Too late. Malouda let fly with a ferocious strike which fizzed past Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey inside the right hand post.
It was one-way traffic after that. It seemed strange that Wolves boss McCarthy had opted for a 3-5-2 formation given a reshaped Blues had gone with just Nikolas Anelka up front.
Maybe the idea was to try and flood the midfield but it just didn't work. With their wing backs, Wolves were still effectively outnumbered through the middle because of the way the Chelsea engine room was set up.
Essien sat deep alongside Mikel but in the absence of Lampard and Ballack, he had greater licence to roam forward.
Wolves just couldn't handle Essien and were baffled how to handle the movement of Joe Cole, Malouda and also Salomon Kalou.
It meant it was all too easy for Chelsea.
Their second goal which confirmed the outcome came after just 12 minutes - and was as soft as they come.
No one picked up Essien as he raced to the front post and met Malouda's right-wing corner with a bullet header.
And in the 22nd minute Essien made it 3-0 when he let fly from the edge of the area for his second.
True, the shot took a little deflection but it was still poor goalkeeping as Hennessey allowed the ball to squirm under his body.
There was an obvious gulf in class across the pitch and six minutes before half-time Cech emphasised the chasm between himself and his Welsh international opposite number. Czech stopper Cech got down to his left to superbly turn a Sylvan Ebanks-Blake header around the post. After that, the Stamford Bridge No 1 was not troubled but Hennessey was. Constantly.
In the 56th minute he had another 'mare when he allowed Joe Cole's effort from the edge of the area beat him far too easily.
Just back from long injury absence, it was Cole's first goal in a year.
Essien then went on a mission to score a hat-trick. Three long-distance strikes flew just wide while Hennessey managed to tip another on to the bar.
Chelsea were so in control that Ancelotti was then able to have a glimpse into the future.
In the 59th minute, 18-year-old Gael Kakuta - whose controversial signing from Lens first saw the player banned for four month and the club suffer a transfer ban - come on and offer some a few flashes of real class.
Young Serb forward Nemanja Matic, 21, and Italian striker Fabio Borini, 18, arrived soon after and did enough to suggest this squad has more quality in depth than most outsiders think.
And it also showed that the loss of four stars to the African Nations Cup in January may not be as devastating as some observers are predicting.
Certainly Chelsea will go into next Sunday's clash against Arsenal believing they can really set down a marker and prove that their only real title rivals this season are Manchester United.
Sensibly, McCarthy has already stressed to his players they are in for the long haul at the bottom.
It might just help their cause if they actually look like a Wolves side whenever possible.
There was no need to swap their famous old gold shirts for an insipid white change strip yesterday.
McCarthy didn't seem to know why when asked and sighed: "What you trying to say, s*** kit and we get beat?"
In a way. Wolves performed just how they looked: a right old Two and Eight.

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Mirror:
Chelsea 4-0 Wolves

By Anthony Clavane

Who needs Guus Hiddink?
That might be a heretical thought at Stamford Bridge, where the ex-Blues boss is as popular with Chelsea fans as Jedward are with the great British public.
And following Russia’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, Hiddink is strongly rumoured to be returning as technical director.
But Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t seem to be doing too bad a job on his own.
The Blues are the runaway Premier League leaders and have already qualified from the group stage of the Champions League.
Before this routine thrashing of Mick McCarthy’s strugglers, Ancelotti praised his defence as the best back-line in the world.
Indeed, John Terry and co have now gone an incredible 16 hours and two minutes without conceding a goal.
And the midfielders and strikers aren’t doing too badly either. They have scored 30 unanswered goals at Stamford Bridge in all competitions since the opening day of the season.
Despite being without the injured Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Deco and Michael Ballack, the barnstorming Blues put Wolves to the sword to make it seven league wins out of seven at the Bridge. Since drawing with Barcelona in May they have won every home match.
It is an astonishing record – but there’s even more bad news for Chelsea’s rivals. Joe Cole, who was out for eight months after being injured in January, scored his first goal of 2009 – and looked like he was back to match fitness.
And 18-year-old Gael Kakuta, whose name has been synonymous with controversy, showed just what all the fuss has been about.
Remember Kakuta? Chelsea were handed a two-window transfer ban by FIFA after being found guilty of inducing him to break his contract with Lens.
The ultra-gifted youngster, shrugged off the pressure with a fine cameo display which more than hinted at his jaw-dropping potential.
With his first touch, he glided past Richard Stearman and hit the side-netting.
Then, for half an hour, he teased and tormented a Wolves defence, who had been well softened up by his team-mates.
Ancelotti, who has described Kakuta as the best teenage footballer he has ever seen, warned fans not to get too carried away.
“We need to stay calm with him,” said the Italian coach. “He is very young.”
Poor Wolves, who have now gone seven games without a win, were shown no mercy in the west London rain. Jody Craddock gifted the home side an early goal, passing straight to Florent Malouda – who smashed the ball past Wayne Hennessey with his left foot.
Michael Essien then netted a brace – the first a header from Malouda’s corner, the second a shot which slid under the hapless Hennessey’s body – before Cole completed the rout following some great link-up play between Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou.
Essien was desperate to take home the match ball and three times came close to recording his first Chelsea hat-trick.
“He is one of the most important midfield players in the world,” said Ancelotti. “He’s very strong and has a lot of quality.”
“We were happy to get nil,” admitted McCarthy. “We made mistakes. We didn’t clear the ball for the first goal. Then at 2-0 down it was a done deal.
“We weren’t expecting to get anything. They are as good a team as I’ve seen. Arguably, they will be champions. We are in a relegation fight. We should understand that now.”
With a bit more luck and accuracy, Ancelotti’s boys would have racked up double figures.
In January, the Italian will be deprived of a raft of first-team stars when the Africa Cup of Nations begins. At this rate, Chelsea will be so far ahead by then it won’t matter.

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