The mood around Molineux was once again downbeat after back-to-back 2-0 defeats ended an encouraging run of five games unbeaten in all competitions (W2, D3).
And inside the opening quarter-hour, that disappointment was further compounded when João Pedro was rather needlessly brought down by Matt Doherty in the box, allowing Palmer to open the scoring by sending José Sá the wrong way from the spot.
That was the 20th time Wolves had conceded first, and they could have slipped further behind soon after, had Sá not been alert to deny an Enzo Fernández rabona and a near-post effort from Malo Gusto.
However, the hosts proved to be the architects of their own downfall once again, conceding another unnecessary penalty when Yerson Mosquera pushed Pedro just inside the area.
Grateful for the opportunity, Palmer stepped up to bury the resulting spot-kick low into the opposite corner, marking his 100th competitive Chelsea start with his 50th goal for the club.
And the celebrations had barely died down by the time Palmer completed his hat-trick just three minutes later, putting the game beyond doubt inside the first half as he swept home Marc Cucurella’s cutback.
Wolves hadn’t scored a second-half goal in any of their last 10 home league encounters, but that didn’t deter breakout star Mateus Mané from digging out an audacious strike onto the post soon after the restart.
And just moments later, the home fans finally had something to cheer about as debutant Adam Armstrong flicked a corner into the path of Tolu Arokodare, who controlled well and swivelled inside the six-yard box to fire home and cut the deficit.
A comeback still appeared fanciful, but Wolves were notably more competitive as they restricted Chelsea’s second-half attacking exploits.
A tepid second period ultimately drifted towards its inevitable conclusion, with former Wolves favourite Pedro Neto miscuing a diving header and firing into the side netting as FT approached.
Ultimately, three well-deserved points keep Chelsea hot on Manchester United’s heels, sitting fifth in the table, one point adrift of the final guaranteed UEFA Champions League spot.
As for Wolves, it’s now 19 league defeats, keeping them on single-digit points and still three shy of Derby County’s unwanted PL-low record of 11.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
