Chelsea put in a tenacious defensive performance at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night to beat Premier League leaders Arsenal to a 1-1 draw despite being reduced to 10 men for much of the game.
In the first half, Moises Caicedo received a red card for a reckless tackle on Mikel Merino. Chelsea capitalized on their numerical advantage in the second half, with Trevo Chalobah scoring a superb header from a corner kick in the second half.
However, Arsenal equalized late in the second half when Mikel Merino headed home after some great play from Bukayo Saka.
Cole Palmer reacts to Chelsea fans’ treatment of Noni Madueke
In this match, Arsenal’s Noni Madueke came on as a substitute in the second half. Madueke moved to London in the summer, leaving London’s blue half to join Mikel Arteta’s side for £48m.
And Chelsea fans made sure to let the player know how they felt about his move to their London rivals, booing him every time he stepped on the ball.
Typically, players don’t openly encourage heckling of other players, but Cole Palmer is not one of those players.
Footage of Palmer warming up on the sidelines went viral as Chelsea fans began to heckle Madueke.
Palmer responded by turning his back, seemingly agreeing with fans booing his former teammate.
Enzo Fernandes and Marc Cucurella clash with Noni Madueke
Madueke’s move to Arsenal appears to have caused considerable turmoil at Chelsea.
In addition to Palmer’s reaction to fan jeers, Enzo Fernandes and Marc Cucurella were also involved in incidents with the 23-year-old attacker.
Midway through the second half, the Arsenal winger moved forward but was stopped by a heavy tackle from Fernandes.
Both Chelsea players immediately turned around and shouted in Madueke’s face, the Arsenal bench was furious and there were loud jeers from the away supporters.
Since joining the Emirates, Maduke has made nine appearances and scored one goal in the Champions League, but remains goalless in the Premier League after seven domestic games.
Arsenal supporters will be hoping that his first league goal isn’t too far away, especially with games in the title race fast approaching.
