Chelsea suffered a rare defeat to rivals Fulham this afternoon in the festive Premier League fixture.
Chelsea were beaten 2-1 at home to Fulham on Boxing Day, losing to them at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 45 years.
Cole Palmer’s individual strike put the Blues in front. However, Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz scored late Fulham goals to earn the visitors three league points.
Enzo Maresca has been such a big success so far during his first year as the Chelsea boss, but his team are beginning to stall just as they’re mentioned as potential title challengers.
According to Palmer, Maresca told Chelsea’s players the Fulham loss is a great moment to learn.
Maresca shared with the media after the Fulham result that his team can manager the game loads better after giving up a lead. He said via Chelsea’s official website: “For sure we can manage the game better because, as I said, we knew that they are very good in transition.”
Enzo Maresca explains Noni Madueke absence for Chelsea
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, 22, was a notable omission from the matchday squad versus Fulham.
While supporters may have thought he was missing because of injury or illness, it’s now been confirmed that it was a decision made by the manager.
When asked why Madueke was missing from Chelsea’s matchday squad versus Fulham, Maresca said via Hayters TV: “Technical decision.”
At this stage, it would only be speculative to talk about why Maresca decided to drop Madueke against Fulham. It’s going to be an interesting story to following in the coming days, though.
When you see Chelsea’s bench on Boxing Day, it certainly would’ve been boosted with the inclusion of Madueke. Here is a look at the Blues substitutes in the West London derby versus Fulham.
What Enzo Maresca has previously said about Noni Madueke
Madueke is enjoying a decent individual season so far, scoring six goals and creating four assists in 20 games across all competitions.
However, the attacker’s absence against Fulham isn’t the first time that there’s been controversial moments with him.
For example, speaking earlier in December, Maresca insisted Chelsea star Madueke can contribute so much more. He said: “With Noni, I have personal relation in terms of he can do much more. He can do much more. The moment he starts to score or assist and is happy, he starts to drop a little bit.”
Elsewhere, Chelsea fans fumed when Madueke stormed down the tunnel after being substituted off against Arsenal earlier in the season.
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