Enzo Maresca praised the “special” Cole Palmer but admitted he was “not happy” with Mykhailo Mudryk after Chelsea’s devastating defeat of Wolves left the 23-year-old Ukrainian the only loser among the victorious visitors.

Mudryk was substituted at half-time for not living up to his coach’s expectations. The score was 2-2 when he was substituted and with the help of his replacement Pedro Neto they eventually won 6-2.

Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Mudryk in a deal worth up to £89m in January 2023 and Maresca is the latest manager tasked with unlocking his potential after his predecessors Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino failed to do so.

When asked why he substituted him at half-time, Maresca said: “Because I was not happy.”

Pressed for further explanation, he continued: “In some moments we can handle some situations better. He worked very hard without the ball and that was very good. But in terms of performance with the ball, I expect a little more quality from Misha.”

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk (left) in the first half of Sunday’s match at Wolves

Enzo Maresca was “not happy” with Mudryk and the Chelsea coach took him off the pitch at half-time

“For me he had some good moments the other day and some good moments today and the reason for that was simply that we had to make substitutions and give Pedro (Neto) a few minutes.”

Maresca was delighted with Palmer after the 22-year-old Englishman was involved in all six goals. Palmer scored a spectacular lob, provided the full assist for Noni Madueke’s hat-trick, set up the corner for Nicolas Jackson’s opener and was involved in the assist for Joao Felix, who finished the goal.

“I’ve known Cole for four or five years,” Maresca said. “I had him for a whole season at (Manchester City) City in the second team and then in the first team. He’s a special player, a special guy and a special person. The goals he scored last year, the goal he scored today and the assists don’t surprise me at all. Cole is a top player.”

Asked how big a boost this win could be for Chelsea’s confidence, Maresca said: “Nobody from the club asked me to play in the Premier League or the Champions League. They just asked me to improve the players, improve the team. I want my team to play the way we want to play.”

Mudryk (centre) was substituted after touching the ball 13 times in the first 45 minutes on Sunday

Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer scored a goal and provided a hat-trick of assists

“Playing every game – that’s the most important thing. Having a clear idea of ​​what we want on the ball. Being a very aggressive team without the ball. In some moments today we started to see our team in terms of our pressing. I feel very happy. I’m very satisfied. I think the squad is very good. There are many players who are versatile and can play in different positions. And then we’ll see where we get to, but the most important thing is to get better from game to game.”

Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia was missing from Chelsea’s squad due to a thigh injury. Although fans were worried as he was plagued by injuries last season, Maresca insisted it was nothing serious and he could return within a week.