Noni Madueke’s relationships with some Chelsea players, including Marc Cucurella, now appear fractured following the Englishman’s decision to join Arsenal over the summer.
The 23-year-old was brought on in the 57th minute of Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea, but it wasn’t a warm welcome back. Stamford Bridge erupted with boos as his name was announced.
Cole Palmer was warming up on the sideline when Madueke came on, and the Chelsea star was spotted nodding in approval of the home fans’ reaction. But Palmer wasn’t the only one who appeared to have lost affection for his former team-mate.
Enzo Fernandez and Cucurella were both seen mocking the Arsenal winger during the game. The Argentine clattered into Madueke with a strong challenge that sent the Gunners man to the ground.
Fernandez then looked to shout in Madueke’s face while he was still on the turf, with Cucurella joining in appearing to scream his way as both Chelsea players showed their fiery side.
Yet it wasn’t too long ago that the Spanish international in particular was showing love for Madueke during difficult moments at Chelsea.
In December last year, Cucurella was sent off in a 2-1 win over Brentford. The Spaniard had scored in the game, but the red card threatened to sour the day for the full-back.
After the match, Cucurella shared a photo of himself and Madueke celebrating, captioned: “Mandem.” It was Madueke who had delivered the cross for Cucurella’s headed goal.
Now, almost exactly a year later, the pair’s relationship looks totally different.
Madueke will be hoping to have the last laugh this season as Arsenal chase their first Premier League title in over 20 years.
After the match, Mikel Arteta discussed the emotions on display. He told Arsenal.com: “That was a big week and a really intense and emotional match today. You could sense from the beginning how much was at stake, two teams putting everything into every action.
“It was more of a battle in the first few minutes especially. There was a lot of interruption, a lot of intervention from the referee, and that changed the context of the game.
“We had four yellow cards, they had [Moises] Caicedo out, and in that moment we have to settle the game. There was an opportunity to do it at half-time, we didn’t use it because immediately in the first action we concede a foul, a wide free-kick, a corner and a goal.
“Then emotionally we have to overcome that situation after everything we’ve been through this week. The team tried its best, and scored a great goal.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca believes his side should not be discouraged by the 1-1 draw. “I think sometimes you have to be happy even with one point,” he said. “For sure, the target was to win the game.
“Again, 11 vs 11, I think we were better than them. We managed the game, controlled the game, didn’t concede chances. The red card changed the dynamic, but the way the players dealt with that was fantastic.”