Arsenal winger Noni Madueke was booed by Chelsea supporters as he returned to Stamford Bridge for the first time following his summer move to the Emirates.
Noni Madueke endured a hostile reception when she returned to west London on Sunday. Stamford Bridge booed the winger loudly and Cole Palmer also responded.
Maduke spent two seasons at Chelsea after joining from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 in a £29m deal. The England international made 92 appearances and scored 20 goals before moving to London rivals Arsenal.
The Blues made a sizable profit as Madueke moved to the Gunners during a period of Club World Cup success. Mikel Arteta’s side spent £52m on his services.
Madueke then returned in a frenetic match as league leaders Arsenal clashed with the second-placed hosts. The winger entered the field in the 57th minute, replacing Gabriel Martinelli.
Madueke faced a terrible reaction upon his return. The 23-year-old was booed repeatedly, much to Chelsea’s talismanic manager Palmer’s delight.
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Palmer was named as one of the substitutes by coach Enzo Maresca, who had been sidelined since September. The former Man City ace has suffered a groin injury and a broken toe.
The Blues superstar was unable to take to the pitch but warmed up on the sideline as Chelsea fans booed Maduke. Footage on social media shows Mr Palmer turning to the crowd and nodding in approval.
Palmer wasn’t the only player who appeared to be targeting Madueke. The Arsenal winger faced a vocal onslaught after falling to the floor following a challenge from Enzo Fernandes.
After the successful clearing, Fernandes and Marc Cucurela shouted congratulations in front of Madueke. The Spurs academy product sat on the grass as his former team-mates made their feelings known.
Madueke was offered a friendlier response when the full-time whistle blew. When the score was tied, Chelsea captain Reece James offered the winger a hug.
Madouk was unable to help his team pick up three points against 10 men as Arsenal reached a stalemate despite their advantage.
“First of all, I think it was a proper London derby,” Arteta said. “I was really nervous and from the beginning I could feel that there was something in every duel, in every action.
“Both teams wanted to win, but they didn’t play a lot of football. There were a lot of stoppages, free kicks and yellow cards, and we didn’t have a lot of fluidity. But obviously after[Moises]Caicedo’s sending off, we wanted to settle the game. We weren’t able to do that. We had four more yellow cards and those players were obviously targeted to even the game in terms of numbers.”
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