Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca asked for “immediate” improvement from Noni Madueke, despite the winger scoring in a 3-1 win over Wolves. Victory at Stamford Bridge ended a five-match winless streak, but Maresca was unhappy with what he perceived to be a drop-off from the England international after he had headed his team’s third goal in the 65th minute.
It was the second time this season that Madueke has been called out publicly over his work rate. He was dropped from the team for December’s win over Aston Villa, with the boss questioning his attitude in training. “He can improve in the last third, but probably after he scored the goal he stopped playing. This has to be one thing that we need to improve immediately,” said Maresca, whose team moved back into the top four in the Premier League thanks to a first victory wince December 15.
“Never happy if you score one or two, always you have to go for more. After he scored the goal he stopped playing a little bit and it’s something that we need to improve. “We just try always to help them to improve. After the goal probably he was a little bit tired, but it’s the moment we need to go for more.”.
Chelsea dominated the first half but true to recent form failed to finish off Wolves. Tosin Adarabioyo gave them the lead with his third goal of 2025, a protracted VAR check required to establish the defender had been onside when the ball was smashed goalwards by Reece James.
