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Chelsea star stormed straight down the tunnel after Enzo Maresca decision during Arsenal draw

Enzo Maresca looking on during a Chelsea match
-Credit: (Image: (Image: Getty))


Noni Madueke did not look particularly pleased after being replaced by Mykhaylo Mudryk midway through the second half during Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

Madueke, 22, walked straight down the tunnel after the substitution, which Enzo Maresca made as part of the double change that also saw Enzo Fernandez come on for Romeo Lavia. The latter looked to be struggling with an injury before being withdrawn, but there seemed to be no such problem for the England international before he departed.

The decision paid off minutes later when Fernandez fed the ball to Pedro Neto before the winger fired past Gunners goalkeeper David Raya. Madueke, meanwhile, did not manage to get any of his four shots on target.

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Two went wide while Arsenal defenders blocked the others before they even made their way through to Raya. However, the winger did complete all three of his dribbles during the game, going past two opponents, and was the only Blues player to manage multiple successful take-ons.

This latest early end to his match means that Madueke has yet to finish a Premier League match since the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest before the October international break. That was also the last fixture in which he scored an equaliser after Chris Wood had given the visitors a brief lead.

Despite that barren run, during which Madueke has also not registered an assist, the player remains in interim England head coach Lee Carsley's squad for their Nations League matches over the next fortnight. He has featured as a substitute in the national team's last three matches.

Madueke will now go away to Greece with them early next before returning to the capital for the Three Lions' final game in the competition against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium. Those fixtures present opportunities to impress incoming permanent head coach Thomas Tuchel, who will take over from Carsley in the new year.