madueke chelsea
Substitute Noni Madueke scored a penalty in the 89th minute to put Chelsea back into the top half of the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Following a fourth straight-away Premier League defeat at Wolves on Christmas Eve, Mauricio Pochettino was under fire, but VAR Chris Kavanagh identified a foul by Eberechi Eze on Madueke inside the box, allowing the young player to score a late winner from the penalty.
Chelsea needed this. For much of the second half, it appeared like they had run out of ideas, and it was Palace who provided the threat of a winner after the superb Olise demonstrated why Chelsea had tracked him earlier this year. With his consolation goal at Molineux, Christopher Nkunku showed glimpses of his ability, and the striker purchased for £58 million from RB Leipzig reinforced his immense promise with his involvement in the opener.
Malo Gusto cleverly twisted away from Chris Richards in midfield, and a slip from Nathaniel Clyne allowed Nkunku to find the rampaging right-back on the opposite wing with a low cutback that Mudryk swept home for his third Premier League goal.
The Ukraine international had made an electrifying start and might have made it two soon after if Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson hadn’t made a stunning block, closing the angle well after Mudryk had been slipped in by a neat Jackson back heel.
Crystal Palace fans were irritated after only one win in their previous 11 matches, but Chelsea’s opener came against the flow of play.
Having said that, the hosts should have increased their lead when Nicolas Jackson outmuscled Joachim Andersen to find Nkunku with only Dean Henderson to beat, but Richards came back to make a crucial last-ditch challenge.
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