The top two favorites to win next season's College Football Playoff will square off in Week 1, when Ohio State hosts Texas on Aug. 30.

The Longhorns and defending-champion Buckeyes enter the offseason as the favorites to win the 2025-26 College Football Playoff at sportsbooks. Texas, which is poised to begin the Arch Manning era, opened as the national title favorite at +450 at ESPN BET, followed by the Buckeyes (+500) and Georgia (+600). Ohio State is the favorite at other sportsbooks, but those three teams top the early odds across the betting market.

Oregon and Penn State, each at +750, and round out the teams with odds shorter than 10-1 in ESPN BET's opening numbers.

Ohio State held off Notre Dame in Monday's championship game to win the national title, capping a dominant CFP run. The Fighting Irish opened at +1500 to win next season's title at ESPN BET.

Manning is expected to be the Longhorns' starter with quarterback Quinn Ewers declaring for the NFL draft. FanDuel has Manning as the second-favorite to win next season's Heisman Trophy, behind LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

The transfer portal has added to the challenges sportsbooks face when creating odds to win the next season's championship.

"We will take our power ratings for 2025 and make the proper adjustments to account for recruiting, returning production and transfer portal changes," Joey Feazel, trader at Caesars Sportsbook, said. "It is a challenging process at times, but year after year, we are getting better at it." The preseason betting favorite to win the national championship has not won it since Alabama in 2017.

ATLANTA -- Maybe Ohio State football fans will like coach Ryan Day now.

Fifty-one days after suffering the worst loss of his career, Day guided the No. 8 Buckeyes to their first national championship in 10 years with a 34-23 victory over No. 7 Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T on Monday night.

The Buckeyes led the Irish 31-7 midway through the third quarter, but the Irish kept fighting and pulled to within one score and a two-point conversion with 4:15 remaining. Quarterback Riley Leonard threw a 30-yard touchdown to Jaden Greathouse with 3:03 left in the third. Leonard tossed a two-point play to tailback Jeremiyah Love to make it 31-15.

Then, after a late defensive stop, Leonard found Greathouse again for a 30-yard touchdown. Leonard's pass to Beaux Collins on a two-point play pulled the Irish within 31-15 with 4:15 remaining in the game.

The Buckeyes finally put the Irish away for good when quarterback Will Howard threw a deep ball to freshman Jeremiah Smith, who beat cornerback Christian Gray for a 56-yard gain to the Irish 10. That led to Jayden Fielding's 33-yard field goal that put the Buckeyes up 11 with 26 seconds left.

ATLANTA -- Seven weeks and two days ago, Ohio State coach Ryan Day watched as Michigan planted its flag at midfield inside the Horseshoe, chaos ensuing: fans chanting "F--- Ryan Day," his players both fighting back and walking around dazed, the rival Wolverines celebrating.

Seven weeks and two days ago, what unfolded Monday night felt unimaginable: joy, celebration, triumph, Day right in the middle, the whole of Buckeye Nation now back in his corner.

After that devastating loss to Michigan, the first expanded 12-team College Football Playoff delivered a chance at salvation. And the Buckeyes took advantage from the start, outscoring their four postseason opponents by a combined score of 145-75, culminating with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame for the program's seventh national championship.

"No great accomplishments are ever achieved without going through adversity," Day said. "That's just the truth." No team has benefited from the College Football Playoff quite like the Buckeyes.

In 2014, they were ranked No. 4 in the inaugural four-team field, beating No. 1 Alabama, then No. 2 Oregon behind third-string quarterback Cardale Jones to hoist the first championship trophy of the CFP era.

This year, they were the No. 8 seed in the first 12-team field. The loss to Michigan -- Ohio State's fourth straight in the series -- kept them out of the Big Ten title game. And in any previous season, it would have kept them out of the playoff. But thanks to playoff expansion, the Buckeyes made it when the bracket was revealed Dec. 8.

The future still looked bleak.

Speculation swirled around Day and whether his disgruntled fan base could accept another failure in a season built for a national championship run.

A team meeting after the Michigan loss got heated. Feelings were hashed out, grievances aired.

"There's multiple ways that you can respond to adversity in life, and that adversity brought us closer as an entire group," receiver Emeka Egbuka said. "We were able to lift each other up in that moment, and we've gotten stronger because of it."

Michigan would be their catalyst.

TWELVE MONTHS AND 12 days ago, cornerback Denzel Burke made sure to watch the 2024 national championship game all the way to the end so he could see rival Michigan hold up the trophy following a 34-13 win over Washington. He had the game on his phone while at dinner with teammate Lathan Ransom and was so hurt, he had to walk into the bathroom to cool off.

There is no fun in losing to your rival; even less fun is watching your rival win the national championship. Michigan beat Ohio State and won it all last season, thanks in part to a veteran group that put off the NFL to return to school to try and win a championship.

Day wanted the same for the Buckeyes in 2024. To get the better of Michigan, Ohio State would have to be like Michigan. Well, at least in one way. With $20 million to spend in NIL, Ohio State went about convincing its top players to return to school, too. Defensive end Jack Sawyer, who grew up in nearby Pickerington, Ohio, as a huge Buckeyes fan, led the charge.

Within short order, he and seven others -- defensive end JT Tuimoloau, tailback TreVeyon Henderson, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, Egbuka and Burke -- put off the NFL to come back to school for one more year.

"It just kind of fueled our fire a little bit to come back and hoist the national championship trophy," Burke said. "To be able to see them win it all like that, we wanted a piece of that."

Player retention and development has been huge: The Buckeyes started 19 players who signed with the school and have combined for more than 520 starts. Many in the signing class of 2021, the foundation for this team, returned because they had contributed nothing to the trophy case inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and refused to let their careers end that way.

"This might be the biggest example of selflessness I have ever been a part of," linebacker Cody Simon said. "So many guys had the opportunity to go first round, second round in the NFL draft. They all came back to play another year together.

"I commend all those guys who made a decision and all the guys who came in who were outside of our program because it takes a lot to get this all to work together."

Day signed a top-tier recruiting class, including receiver Jeremiah Smith, and brought in key transfer portal acquisitions -- quarterback Will Howard, safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins chief among them. Ohio State would enter 2024 as one of the most talented teams in the country. Expectations were clear from the start.

"At this time last year, which is crazy to think about, guys decided to come back and put their personal goals aside to achieve this goal," Ransom said. "It's pretty special. I hate when people say, 'Win or bust,' but we did everything to come back to win."

Day knew he needed something to help his players best understand the journey on which they were about to embark. In their first preseason meeting last year, Day showed the team a picture of a lighthouse in the middle of a storm in the ocean. The lighthouse keeper, he told them, was counting on the lighthouse to be built with the right foundation to withstand the storm.

Then he told the story of three bricklayers building St. Paul's Cathedral, and the importance of each brick being laid the right way. He told the players that every day after practice, he would hand out a scarlet and gray brick to one player. It would be his job to build a foundation for what was to come. The bricks could not be placed randomly or haphazardly. Building that foundation had to be done the right way.

Every day as players walked out to practice, they had a view of the bricks being stacked. Every day on the way back into the locker room, they had a view of the bricks being stacked. Over 100 bricks are now stacked perfectly, forming a foundational wall. "That wall is built for anything -- the fire that we went through, the perseverance that we have, and here we are now," Burke said.

"Storms are going to come," Day said. "How is the foundation built? Was it built on a true foundation of rock or of sand? We knew those storms were coming. We didn't know when, but that was ultimately going to allow us to withstand those storms."

THE BIGGEST STORM came Nov. 30. The Buckeyes entered their rivalry game against Michigan as a 20.5-point favorite, ranked No. 2 in the CFP and with massive matchup advantages up and down the depth chart.

The Wolverines lost nearly every key offensive player from their 2023 national championship team and were 6-5 under first-year coach Sherrone Moore. Two of their best players were injured for the Ohio State game.

Finally, the Ryan Day Redemption Arc would be written.

Then the game kicked off. Michigan dominated up front, handcuffing Ohio State from doing much. Inexplicably, the Buckeyes could not get the ball to Smith to make enough of a difference, and Ohio State was shut out in the second half at home for the first time in 13 years.

When the final seconds ticked off the clock, Michigan had won 13-10 in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the rivalry. As the Wolverines planted their flag at midfield, Sawyer came charging up, tearing the Michigan flag down. He could be heard on video screaming, "They're not f---ing planting the flag again on our field, bro!"

Day stood there silently, seemingly in disbelief. Though he ranks No. 1 among active head coaches in win percentage, Day has been judged by one thing: his record against Michigan. Day has gone 47-1 against all other Big Ten opponents in his career. But what did he do against the Wolverines? To date, he is 1-4. As a result, Ohio State has not won a Big Ten title since the truncated 2020 COVID-19 season, a year in which the rivals did not play.

Vitriol was directed at both Day and his players in the immediate aftermath of this season's Michigan loss, and sports talk focused on whether Day needed to win the national championship to save his job. Athletic director Ross Bjork tried to quell the speculation when he gave a vote of confidence to Day in December, telling 97.1 The Fan in Columbus, "The season's not over. The book is not closed."

In that same interview, Bjork asked his Ohio State fans not to sell their tickets to Tennessee fans for their first-round playoff game in Columbus.

"We knew that we could play better than what we presented," guard Donovan Jackson said. "So having people tell us we're trash, terrible, garbage, half of us should transfer, half of us should leave the state of Ohio. No, we know how good we are."

IN THE FOUR-TEAM CFP era, Ohio State made five playoff appearances and finished ranked No. 5 or 6 three other times. In fact, the Buckeyes ranked in the top seven in every final CFP poll, including No. 7 last year at 11-1. That lone loss to Michigan precluded them from making the four-team field.

The loss to Michigan this year served a far different purpose.

"The new format has allowed our team to grow and build throughout the season, and as much as losses hurt, they really allow us as coaches and players to take a hard look at the issues and get them addressed," Day said.

The team meeting after the Michigan game got loud and emotional. Fingers were pointed, mistakes were rehashed, but players and Day took accountability. In times of great adversity, either you fold under the pressure or you rise to greatness. Ohio State chose not to break.

"There was no other option for us," Simon said. "You go from feeling sorry for yourself to now we've got to rewrite the history for this season and this team."

Kickoff against the Vols came on a chilly night at the Shoe, three weeks removed from the Michigan loss. Nobody knew how the Buckeyes would respond.

The nation got its answer two minutes and 14 seconds into the game. Then four minutes later. Then five minutes after that. By the time the first quarter ended, Ohio State had a 21-0 lead as it overwhelmed what had been one of the best defenses in the country, while completely stymying Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his high-powered offense.

Day said after the 42-17 win, "You could tell from the jump that they had a look in their eyes that they were going to win this game."

Next up: a rematch with No. 1 Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. The undefeated Big Ten champion Ducks handed the Buckeyes their first defeat back in October, after Howard lost track of the game clock while trying to drive for a game-winning score, running with four seconds left and sliding as time ran out in the 32-31 loss.

There would be no need for late-game heroics this time around. Once again, Ohio State bulldozed its way to a massive lead, going up 34-0 before winning 41-21. After two rounds, the Buckeyes had harnessed all their talent and potential and were playing like the "championship or bust team" many envisioned when the season began.

There was more to come. Before the semifinal against Texas at the Cotton Bowl, Day had a simple message for his team: "To leave a legacy, become your own legend."

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, leave it to the player who dreamed about winning an Ohio State national title as a little boy throwing a football in his backyard with his dad, to do just that.

Sawyer strip-sacked Quinn Ewers on fourth-and-goal from the 8 with 2:13 left, then returned the fumble 83 yards to put the game out of reach and give the Buckeyes a 28-14 win.

The image of Day standing silently next to a riled-up Sawyer after the Michigan game was replaced with the image of Day unclipping his headset and jumping into a giant bear hug from Sawyer on the sideline screaming, "YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A hug so powerful, it appeared to break a camera the CFP had placed on Sawyer after the play.

"The resiliency of this team, from a month ago, it's been incredible," Sawyer said afterward. "I love Columbus. I love the state of Ohio. I love Ohio State football. I'm so fortunate to be playing in the national championship my last year here."

Just like the semifinal, the national championship game needed a fourth-quarter play to seal the win. This time, it was Smith and his 57-yard reception with 2:29 left that ended any Notre Dame comeback hopes.

Ohio State trailed for the first time in this CFP after the Fighting Irish opened the game with a clock-busting drive that nearly lasted 10 minutes and ended with a Riley Leonard touchdown run.

Then the Buckeyes showed off their wealth of depth and talent during a critical portion of the game -- the rest of the first half and start of the second -- pulling ahead and proving right those who chose them in the preseason to bring home another national championship. Their offensive line opened up huge holes for Henderson and Judkins while allowing virtually no one to come near Howard. The Notre Dame defense was flummoxed -- alternating between man and zone -- unable to answer for Judkins nor for a mobile Howard, who was all too eager to take off when the running lanes opened. Ohio State converted all six of its third-down attempts in the first half, and Howard opened the game with 13 straight completions -- a record for most completions to start a national championship game.

The Buckeyes raced out to a 28-7 lead after their first series of the third quarter and then held on against an inspired Notre Dame effort. In the end, they raised their arms in victory.

They may not be able to call themselves Big Ten champions. They may not have a win over That Team Up North.

But the Buckeyes have something to celebrate that is theirs, and only theirs: the national championship.

Chicago Bulls rookie forward Matas Buzelis and San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle have committed to two of the four spots in the slam dunk contest during NBA All-Star Weekend, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The dunk contest, which will be held Feb. 15 inside San Francisco's Chase Center, will feature multiple rookies for the second straight year after Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York's Jacob Toppin participated in 2024.

Buzelis, selected by the Bulls with the 11th pick last June, has played fewer than 13 minutes per game for Chicago but is no stranger to All-Star Weekend, participating in the 2024 Rising Stars game as part of a team made up of G Leaguers.

Castle, taken fourth by San Antonio, has emerged as a contender for rookie of the year as the floor-general-in-waiting for Victor Wembanyama's Spurs. Castle is coming off the best stretch of his rookie campaign, headlined by three straight 20-point performances last week.

An NBA player hasn't won the dunk contest since 2022, with G Leaguer Mac McClung taking home back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.

SAN FRANCISCO -- As Stephen Curry exited the game for good near the end of the third quarter, with the Boston Celtics up by 32 on their way to a 40-point blowout victory over the Warriors, he probably hadn't felt further away from Golden State's 2022 NBA championship than he did on Monday.

After suffering the worst home defeat of the Steve Kerr era with a 125-85 loss at Chase Center, Curry noted how the Celtics are everything the Warriors are not at the moment.

Curry talked about how Boston has the same core from its 2022 NBA Finals team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown but have even more confidence after winning the Finals last season.

"Yeah, we have an entirely different roster pretty much, obviously," Curry said of the Warriors as compared to their 2021-22 squad. "Especially without Draymond [Green] out there. But you look [at what] they have, besides [Kristaps] Porzingis, they have pretty much the whole rotation still, and they are the defending champs.

"So, they're coming in with a level of confidence and swagger about 'em, and it's the exact opposite of what we have right now. So yeah, obviously great memories, but definitely feels like a long time ago."

The Warriors hold out hope that they can turn this season around, get into the playoffs and surprise everyone like they did in 2022, when they beat Boston 4-2 in the Finals.

But they are 21-21 and hobbled by injuries to crucial players. Green did not play Monday, and he will be out at least a week with a mild calf strain. Jonathan Kuminga injured his right ankle on Jan. 4 and was ruled out for at least three weeks, though he likely will need longer to return. Brandin Podziemski has been out with an abdomen injury, and Kyle Anderson did not play due to a glute injury.

Since starting the season off 12-3, the Warriors have gone 9-18. They are currently in a nine-game stretch in which eight are at Chase Center.

Curry was asked if the Warriors can use this stretch to stay afloat with the injuries to Green and Kuminga.

"It's incredibly significant for our season," Curry said. "You'd hope to be a better home team than you are on the road. ... We'll see how we respond to it and if we can take advantage of this stretch. Tonight was not great; Captain Obvious statement.

"But just the idea that we can keep ourselves afloat until we get some guys back can kind of make or break our season to be honest, to keep it real. ... Nobody's counting game-by-game type thing, but a six- to eight-game stretch can kind of define where we are going forward the rest of the season."

The Celtics (30-13) hit 20 3-pointers on Monday, with Tatum leading the way with 22 points.

Curry, with his 18 points, was just one of two Warriors to score in double figures.

Kerr is hopeful that Podziemski and Anderson will be able to return later in the week. The Warriors will play at the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday before facing the Chicago Bulls at home on Thursday. The Los Angeles Lakers will visit Golden State on Saturday.

The Warriors will need to put up much more than the 85 points they scored against Boston. It was the lowest output in a home game in which Curry has played under Kerr. The 40-point margin also represented the worst home defeat for Golden State since a 45-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 1985.

"Seems like an eternity ago," Warriors center Kevon Looney said when asked how long ago the 2022 NBA championship feels like. "We have had a lot of iterations of the team since then. Each season brings on a new challenge. That year seems further and further away. But hopefully, we can get back to that feeling of being a champion. But we got a long way to go."

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Coco Gauff's forehand and serve abandoned her in the worst way and at the worst time at the Australian Open on Tuesday, and the No. 3-seeded American was eliminated in the quarterfinals by No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain 7-5, 6-4.

Gauff entered the match at Rod Laver Arena with a 9-0 record in 2025 and on a 13-match winning streak that dated to her title at the WTA Finals in November. Using tweaks to some key strokes to great effect in the hopes of earning a second Grand Slam title at age 20, the 2023 US Open champion had only dropped one set through four matches at Melbourne Park this year.

"She's full of confidence. But I'm playing well, too," Badosa said ahead of the contest. "I'm ready to face her."

Was she ever. And Badosa now heads to her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 27.

Gauff finished with 41 unforced errors, a total that included six double-faults -- including on the last point of the game that put Badosa ahead 5-2 in the second set -- and 28 missed forehands.

She never earned so much as a single break point until after she already trailed by a set and a break in the second.

Badosa reached a career-best ranking of No. 2 in 2022, but then dealt with a serious back injury that had her contemplating ending her tennis career.

"I would never think that, a year after, I would be here," Badosa said. "I've been through a lot. In the past, I was one of the best players in the world."

She next will go up against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion in Melbourne, or No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the runner-up at the 2021 French Open. Their quarterfinal was to be played Tuesday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin on Monday declined to address reports that forward J.T. Miller was nearly traded to the New York Rangers over the weekend.

Sportsnet first reported over the weekend that there were discussions within the Canucks organization about holding Miller out of their game against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday due to a potential trade with the Rangers. The trade, which would have involved multiple players and draft picks, ultimately fell apart.

"I'm not going to go into any specifics and comments on any talks around the league, but since I got here, I'm always trying to explore how to make our team better and see if it makes sense or not," Allvin said when asked multiple times about the potential trade and Miller's future with the Canucks during a midseason news conference.

Miller has played in Vancouver since the 2019-20 season. He was originally drafted 15th overall by the Rangers in 2011 and played parts of six seasons in New York.

Allvin declined to state whether there were any "untouchables" on his roster, and he gave credit to his players for "blocking out the noises" about a potential Miller trade in posting a 3-2 win over the Oilers.

"I'm planning on being a Canuck today, tomorrow," Miller, who had two assists and played well defensively in the victory, said after the game. "Whatever happens, happens. I'm focused on the next game."

Miller has 31 points in 35 games this season. He was the team's leading scorer last season with 103 points in 81 games.

The Canucks have struggled in the standings, with a 20-15-10 record that has them outside of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Miller's future has mostly been clouded due to an ongoing personal issue with Canucks star center Elias Pettersson.

Sources confirmed to ESPN that the Canucks have had trade discussions regarding both Miller and Pettersson.

Miller, 31, has a contract that runs through 2030 with a $8 million average annual value. Pettersson, 26, has a contract that runs through 2032 with an $11.6 million cap hit. Miller has a full no-movement clause. Pettersson's full no-movement clause kicks in this summer.

Miller and Pettersson have reportedly had a strained relationship for years, according to former Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau, who told TSN that it predated his time with the team and had something to do with quality of linemates. Their personal heat drew public attention this season when there was a brief outburst at a Canucks practice in which Miller allegedly called Pettersson a "baby."

Captain Quinn Hughes has acknowledged an issue between the two players; Miller and Pettersson have denied they're feuding.

Allvin said Monday that he felt sorry for the Canucks players who have had to see this play out in the media and social media.

"It's very unfortunate," Allvin said. "I feel bad for a lot of players when you're reading some rumors out there. I'm proud of the guys that they're capable of blocking a lot of noises out and just go out and play. We want to create an environment where they feel safe and trusted. I think the players have galvanized and played extremely well under the circumstances."

Allvin said that when the Canucks are "playing at their best and [doing] what they're capable of," they can be a playoff team.

"I do still believe that we have a good core here," he said.

With the Canucks' struggles on and off the ice, Allvin said he's "proud" of the way coach Rick Tocchet has handled the season. Vancouver holds a club option for 2025-26 on its coach, but Allvin said the ultimate decision for next season involves what Tocchet would like to do as well.

"I do believe he's a good a coach. I see him long-term," Allvin said. "But, obviously, it's a two-way street there."

BOSTON -- Tom McVie, who coached the Winnipeg Jets to the 1979 World Hockey Association championship over Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers in the final year before the franchises were absorbed into the NHL, has died. He was 89.

McVie was also the Jets' first coach in the NHL and the New Jersey Devils' second after they moved from Colorado in 1982. He also coached the Washington Capitals, compiling an overall NHL record of 126-263 with 73 ties in parts of eight seasons from 1975-92.

The Trail, British Columbia, native joined the Bruins as an assistant coach in 1992 and got his name on the Stanley Cup as a team ambassador when it won the 2011 championship.

"Tom was a huge part of our Bruins family, having served as coach, scout and ambassador for more than 30 years," said Boston president Cam Neely, whose playing career overlapped with McVie's coaching tenure. "His hockey mind, colorful personality, gruff voice, and unmatched sense of humor livened up every room he entered, and he will be dearly missed."

McVie made his NHL head coaching debut when he succeeded Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt in Washington on New Year's Eve in 1975, but he never finished higher than fourth before heading to the WHA. He took over the Jets, whose roster included a 40-year-old Bobby Hull, and won the 1979 Avco World Trophy.

True North Sports + Entertainment and the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club is saddened to learn of the passing of former Winnipeg Jets Head Coach Tom McVie.

Coach McVie was an historical figure in Winnipeg's pro hockey history as the coach of the last team to ever win the Avco Cup in... pic.twitter.com/OFGynPHnCI

Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 20, 2025

"Coach McVie was an historical figure in Winnipeg's pro hockey history as the coach of the last team to ever win the Avco Cup in the World Hockey Association, as well as the first coach in the team's National Hockey League history back in 1979," the Jets posted on X on Monday.

"Tom's personality, voice, and knowledge of the game transcended his title and time in our city as the team made the transition from the WHA to the NHL. His ability to tell a story only added to the legend of the hockey club's arrival on the big stage. We'd like to extend our deepest condolences to the many friends and loved ones of Coach McVie."

McVie told The Boston Globe after joining the Bruins organization in 1992 that he was proud to be a hockey lifer.

"If I wasn't coaching hockey," he said, "then I'd probably be driving the Zamboni."

McVie also coached in the AHL for New Jersey, working for the then-Utica Devils. They have since been renamed the Utica Comets, who honored him in a Monday social media post, calling McVie "a legend of the sport and our community," and adding that "Tom was an outstanding leader, and an incredible human being."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chelsea won for the first time in six Premier League matches when they beat relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at home on Monday with goals from defenders Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Cucurella and a third from winger Noni Madueke.

The win pushed Chelsea -- who had been second as recently as last month -- above Manchester City and Newcastle United into fourth place, while Wolves remained out of the bottom three only on goal difference ahead of Ipswich Town.

The hosts, seeking to get back on track for a place in next season's Champions League, went ahead in the 24th minute when Tosin sidefooted home from close range.

But goalkeeper Robert Sánchez gifted Wolves an equaliser in first-half stoppage time when he dropped a corner and Matt Doherty stabbed the ball in.

The home fans were fearing a repeat of recent games when Chelsea threw away leads until Cucurella popped up in attack to score after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall -- in his first league start for the Blues -- flicked on a Madueke cross on the hour.

Five minutes later, Madueke nodded in to make sure a header from Trevoh Chalobah - returning to Stamford Bridge after being recalled from a loan spell at Crystal Palace - crossed the line.

"It's instinct. Attacker's instinct," Madueke told Sky Sports. "I knew it was going over the line. I said sorry to Trevoh after. I had to put this in the net for sure.

"He was saying 'No way you took my goal,' but I said: 'You have to understand, this is what they pay me for.'"

Chelsea have 40 points from 22 games, 10 adrift of leaders Liverpool and four behind second-placed Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. They are two points above Manchester City and Newcastle.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was boosted by the return of club captain Reece James, who made his first start after the latest in a string of injury absences.

"The performance until 40 minutes was very good, then the last five minutes we struggled. They scored a goal and we lost a bit of confidence, which was something that has happened a few times this season," Maresca told BBC.

"We need to learn to manage these situations better. In the second half we started well and scored the goals. Overall I think we deserved to win the game.

"We reacted well in the second half. After five games without a win it is not easy to do that. So it was important to win the game."

Chalobah also gave the Blues' defence a stronger shape after the loss of Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile due to injuries.

Defender Levi Colwill and midfielders Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernández were all absent from the squad ahead of Chelsea's trip to champions Manchester City on Saturday.