Enzo Maresca hailed 'special' Cole Palmer but admitted he was 'not happy' with Mykhailo Mudryk after Chelsea's mauling of Wolves with the 23-year-old Ukrainian the only loser among the victorious visitors.
Mudryk was hooked at half-time for not meeting his manager's standards. It was 2-2 at the time of his substitution and with the help of his replacement Pedro Neto, they went on to win 6-2.
Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Mudryk in January 2023 in a deal worth up to £89million and Maresca is the latest manager to be tasked with unlocking his potential after his predecessors Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino struggled to do so.
Asked why he subbed him at the break, Maresca said: 'Because I was not happy.'
Pushed for a further explanation, he continued: 'In some moments we can manage some situations better. He was working very hard off the ball and that was very good. But in terms of on the ball, I expect a bit more quality from Misha.
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk pictured (left) in the first half of Sunday's game at Wolves
Enzo Maresca was 'not happy' with Mudryk and the Chelsea manager took him off at half-time
'For me, he had some good moments the other day and some good moments today and the reason why was just because we needed to change and give Pedro (Neto) some minutes.'
Maresca was thrilled with Palmer after the 22-year-old Englishman played a part in all six goals. Palmer scored a spectacular lob, assisted Noni Madueke's hat-trick in its entirety, provided the corner for Nicolas Jackson's opener and was involved in the build-up for Joao Felix completing the scoreline.
'I've known Cole already four or five years,' Maresca said. 'I had him for an entire season at (Manchester City) City with the second team and then with the first team. He is a special player, a special guy and a special person. I am not surprised at all about the goals he scored last year, the goal he scored today, the assists. Cole is a top player.'
On how big this victory could be for Chelsea's confidence, Maresca said: 'No one from the club asked me to compete for the Premier League or a Champions League spot. They just asked me to improve the players, improve the team. I want to see my team playing the way we want to play.
Mudryk (centre) was hooked after touching the ball 13 times in the first 45 minutes on Sunday
Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer scored one goal, as well as providing a hat-trick of assists
'Compete every game – this is the most important thing. On the ball, to have a clear idea of what we want. Off the ball, to be a very aggressive team. In some moments today, we started to see our team in terms of our pressing. I feel very lucky. I feel very happy. I think the squad is very good. There are many players that are versatile and can play in different positions. And then we will see where we arrive but the most important thing is to be better, game after game.'
Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia was missing from Chelsea's squad because of a hamstring complaint. While that worried fans, given his injury-plagued last campaign, Maresca insisted it was nothing serious and that he could return within 'a week'.