Rob Edwards lamented the "ludicrous" defensive errors committed by his Wolves players following their 3-1 defeat to Chelsea, though he credited their ability to "stop the bleeding" in the second half.

The Premier League's bottom club appeared to be on course for an embarrassing defeat when Cole Palmer scored a hat-trick inside 25 first-half minutes, putting Chelsea 3-0 up.

Palmer scored the first of two penalties in the 13th minute, converted a second spot-kick in the 35th minute, then swept into the roof of the net following Marc Cucurella's cutback in the 38th.

Wolves were jeered off by their own supporters at half-time, though they improved in the second period and pulled a goal back through Tolu Arokodare.

Wolves have gained just eight points in the Premier League this season (W1 D5 L19), the fewest after 25 games in the competition's history and Wolves' worst-ever return after 25 matches.

And Edwards acknowledged his team gave themselves a mountain to climb, saying: "My hand is feeling the effects of thumping a door with a bit of anger. 

"We started really positively, and then after a couple of ludicrous mistakes, against a top team with brilliant players, it was always going to be a really difficult day for us. 

"At 2-0 down, with the energy and looking at the lads on the pitch, it looked a little bit like when we first came in. It looked a bit disjointed, they got their tails up, and obviously they got the third.

"Then it was about stopping the bleeding. I thought the players reacted very, very well, once we were able to get them in at half-time and organise things. 

"Then we know it's really difficult to win the game of football, or to get something from it, but it was about trying to win the half, sticking to the things that we want them to do on a tactics board, but also showing some passion, and we did that. 

"It wasn't a team that went under in the end, because if it had, it would have been embarrassing today."

Wolves visit Nottingham Forest for their next Premier League game on Wednesday, when a defeat would leave them 21 points adrift of safety with only 36 to play for.