"It was in the palm of our hands" – Chelsea star admits dressing room was 'silent' after 2-2 Sheffield United draw
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has claimed that his dressing room was completely quiet after a 2-2 Premier League draw against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday (April 7).
Earlier this weekend, the Blues failed to build on their dramatic 4-3 league win over Manchester United last Thursday. Thiago Silva and Madueke scored on either side of Jayden Bogle's 32nd-minute first equalizer. However, Oliver McBurnie helped to win one point after coming up with the Blades' second equalizer in the third minute of injury time.
After the end of Chelsea's recent league game, Madueke was queried to comment on the mood in the west London outfit's locker room. He replied to BBC (h/t Metro):
"Silent, to be honest. Of course, we should have won. The way we drop points sometimes, it was in the palm of our hands."
Sharing further thoughts on Chelsea's campaign, Madueke continued:
"There is still games to go, we have to stick together and I have faith we can finish in the places we want to finish in. There is some positives for sure, but this is our Achilles heel, the next game after a top result... we haven't been able to do well so far."
Madueke, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven in a £30 million transfer past January, has started 10 of his 25 appearances across all competitions this season. The 22-year-old has found the back of the opposition net six times, providing one assist in 914 minutes so far.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino provides update on Cole Palmer following 2-2 draw
After his team's recent 2-2 draw, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked if he substituted Cole Palmer off due to an injury concern. He replied (h/t Metro):
"No, no, no. I think he was tired. Carney [Chukwuemeka] is another number 10 who can play there and do the job. We need to protect him. He got a knock against Manchester United and was a bit more tired than normal. We wanted to protect him after scoring the second goal, tryig to avoid a problem in the future."
Palmer, who was taken off in the 74th minute of the game against Sheffield United, has proved to be the Blues' best player this campaign. He has registered 19 goals and 13 assists in 37 overall outings so far.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will next face Everton in their Premier League contest at Stamford Bridge on Monday (April 15).