Chelsea star Noni Madueke missed the Premier League Boxing Day defeat to Fulham due to technical reasons, it is understood.

The England international has been ever-present in Enzo Maresca's squad throughout the season. Madueke has scored six goals and provided a further four assists across all competitions.

After being an unused substitute in the opening day defeat to Manchester City, Madueke had featured in every single Premier League game. After scoring in the 2-1 win over Brentford earlier this month and coming off the bench against Everton before Christmas, the 22-year-old was absent from the squad against Fulham.

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The Blues fell to only their third defeat in the league this season at the hands of their London rivals. Rodrigo Muniz scored a 95th minute winner for Fulham after Cole Palmer had put Chelsea ahead in the first-half.

Pedro Neto retained his spot on the left wing and Maresca turned only to Christopher Nkunku off the bench, leaving Marc Guiu and Joao Felix watching from the sidelines. His absence had led to question marks over whether he had picked up a possible injury.

However, according to reports, Madueke was missing from the matchday squad on Thursday as a technical decision. Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail has claimed it wasn't injury-related.

Maresca opted to name two goalkeepers, Marcus Bettinelli and Filip Jorgensen, on the bench. It is the first time Madueke has missed a Premier League game since 2-0 win over Sheffield United in December 2023.