Noni Madueke was booed as he returned to his old Arsenal club to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but some Blues players turned on his former team-mate.
Bonds with several Chelsea stars, including Noni Madukeke and Marc Cucurella, appear to have been frayed following the England international’s summer move to Arsenal. The 23-year-old was introduced in the 57th minute of Arsenal’s game against Chelsea on Sunday, but his return home was far from a peaceful one.
As his name echoed on the ground, jeers rang out at Stamford Bridge. Cole Palmer was warming up on the touchline when Madueke came on and the Chelsea ace made a subtle nod to the hostile reception from the supporters.
But Palmer wasn’t the only one who was losing love for his former colleague. Enzo Fernandes and Cucurella were caught mocking the Arsenal winger throughout the match.
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The Argentine crashed into Madueke with a ferocious tackle that knocked the Gunners star down. Fernandes then appeared to shout at Madueke, who remained sprawled out on the pitch, and Cucurella appeared to be involved in the shouting as both Chelsea stars displayed their passionate nature, Football London reported.
However, it didn’t take long for the Spanish defender to voice his support for Madueke during his testing period at Chelsea. Last December, Cucurella received his marching orders during a 2-1 win over Brentford.
The Spaniard found the back of the net in the game, but his sending off threatened to overshadow the full-back’s afternoon performance. After the encounter, Kukulela posted an image of herself and Madueke as a celebration with the caption “Mandem”.
It was Maduke who provided the cross for Cucurella’s header. A year later, the dynamics between them have completely changed.
Maduke will be looking to have the last laugh of the season as Arsenal aim to win their first Premier League title in over 20 years. After the match, Mikel Arteta reflected on the emotional roller coaster of the match.
He told Arsenal.com: “It’s been a great week and today was a really intense and emotional game. From the start you could see how much is at stake with both teams giving their all to every action.”
“It was a more intense battle, especially in the first minutes. There were a lot of stoppages and referee interventions, which changed the situation of the match.
“We had four yellow cards and they had (Moises) Caicedo sent off. You have to decide the game in that moment. We had a chance at half-time, but we didn’t take it because in the first action we immediately conceded a foul, a wide free-kick, a corner kick and then a goal.”
“And after everything we went through this week, emotionally we have to overcome the situation. The team did their best and scored a great goal.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believes his team should not be disappointed by the 1-1 draw. He explained, “I think sometimes you have to be happy even with one goal,” adding, “Certainly the goal was to win the game.
“Again, I think we were better than them in 11-on-11. We managed the game, controlled the game and didn’t concede any chances. The red card changed the game, but the players reacted well.”
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