"Sell him, such a child", "Selfish player" - Chelsea fans slam 22-year-old star for his post-match antics after FA Cup S/F loss to Manchester City
Chelsea fans have hit out at Noni Madueke after the English winger was seen laughing after Manchester City knocked his side out of the FA Cup
Mauricio Pochettino's men suffered a 1-0 loss in their semifinal against the cup holders at Wembley today (April 20). Bernardo Silva's 84th-minute deflected effort was enough to send the west Londoners out.
Chelsea played well and will feel hard done by given the chances they created. Madueke was a bright spark on the right flank, but couldn't find the net with three attempts at goal.
The young attacker also won four of seven ground duels and linked up well with Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer. He was brought off for Mykhaylo Mudryk in the 79th minute and may have pleased fans with his outing.
However, Madueke infuriated fans with his demeanor after Chelsea suffered defeat. He was seen laughing and joking with Manchester City winger Jack Grealish after full-time.
This came while veteran defender Thiago Silva stood in front of him, wiping away tears. This may have been the 39-year-old Brazilian's last chance at silverware with the Stamford Bridge giants.
Fans were enraged by Madueke's actions and one demanded the England U21 international be sold:
"Sell him, such a child."
Another fan labeled the former PSV Eindhoven winger:
"Madueke is a selfish player."
Here's how other fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Madueke laughing after Chelsea crashed out of the FA Cup:
"Playing for the badge and playing for the club in one sentence," one fan opined.
"You just have to question the commitment of these younger players," another fan admitted.
"Ship Noni to the MLS. That is where he belongs," one fan demanded.
"Yh that’s what happens when we employ bunch of 21yrs olds. Useless lot," another fan insisted.
Mauricio Pochettino questioned Noni Madueke's maturity ahead of Chelsea vs Manchester City
Chelsea headed into their FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City on a positive note. They secured their best result of the season with a 6-0 demolition of Everton in the league (April 15).
However, that victory was marred by a petty dispute over a penalty that Cole Palmer took and converted. Madueke was in the middle of it, trying to get the ball off of his English compatriot to take it himself.
Jackson got himself involved with the pair arguing and this led to the likes of Conor Gallagher and Silva stepping in. It was petulant behavior that Pochettino was less than pleased with (via ESPN):
"We can't show that type of behavior. It's like we are in a school, and our job is to show them they were wrong so they can learn. There will be no punishment, but this can't happen again."
Madueke has shown glimpses of promise during his time at Stamford Bridge. He hasn't cemented himself as a regular starter but was given an opportunity from the off against Manchester City. The pacey winger has registered six goals and one assist in 27 games across competitions.