Cole Palmer's reaction to Noni Madueke being booed upon his return to Stamford Bridge during Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon has gone viral. An early red card for Moises Caicedo threatened to derail the Blues in their attempt to stay within arm's length of the Gunners in the Premier League table.
But a battle-hardened performance saw Enzo Maresca's side take the lead through Trevoh Chalobah, who reached a looping corner first and guided it into the back of the net. Although makeshift centre-forward Mikel Merino replied quickly with a header of his own, the hosts managed to ensure their numerical disadvantage didn’t count for too much.
The result means Chelsea remain six points off leaders Arsenal and one point behind second-placed Manchester City, with plenty still to change during the busy winter period. It also leaves questions over whether Madueke - who made the eyebrow-raising £52 million move across the capital in the summer - made the right choice.
Palmer's Reaction to Chelsea Fans Booing Noni Madueke
Cole Palmer Noni Madueke
There was no love lost for the tricky winger at Stamford Bridge, and all four sides of the stadium made it clear they haven’t taken well to his switch to a direct rival. It also seems the general feeling toward Madueke is something Palmer mirrors, as he appeared to nod toward the crowd as they jeered him. Watch the clip below:
Madueke has played alongside Palmer on 90 occasions across their stints with both Chelsea and the England national team - more than he has with any other player in his career. But the attacking midfielder clearly isn’t one to cling onto sentimentality.
Madueke's Tough Start to Life at Arsenal
Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke
Before Madueke's deal had even gone through, there was already discontent among those of an Emirates Stadium persuasion over the notion that the recruitment team weren’t being ambitious enough in their bid to end a two-decade-long league title drought. The move for the 23-year-old was so disliked, in fact, that petitions were launched in an attempt to change the hierarchy’s mind.
What he does bring is strength in depth, reducing the reliance on Bukayo Saka to play every match, and it’s arguably Mikel Arteta’s deeper talent pool that has been a key factor in this season’s early success.
arsenal mikel arteta bukayo saka
But Madueke has already missed 12 games through injury, and when he has played, his lack of cutting edge has been a cause for concern, having now gone seven league matches without a goal involvement. Right now, there appear to have been better options, though time is still very much on his side.