Noni Madueke was awarded the freedom of Wolverhampton just hours after making a disparaging remark about the city.
During Chelsea’s 6-2 victory over Wolves at Molineux on Sunday, Madueke seized the opportunity to score a 15-minute hat-trick. The winger was met with hostility from the home fans, who had been riled up by an Instagram post on Saturday in which Madueke had mockingly commented on Wolverhampton.
Despite the early jeers, Madueke netted three goals in the second half, securing Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League win as Chelsea’s manager. In his post-match interview, Madueke apologized for the Instagram post, which he had quickly deleted. He stated, “I want to apologize to anyone I might have offended. It was a human mistake, an accident. It wasn’t intended to be shared publicly. I’m sure Wolverhampton is a nice place, and I’m sorry for any offense caused.”
Madueke continued, “It was a mistake, and we learn from these things. I hope nothing like this happens again. As for the boos, I expected it, but it’s part of the game. You have to handle that kind of pressure.”
The first half of the match ended 2-2, with goals from Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen canceling out Chelsea’s early lead by Nicolas Jackson and a late goal by Cole Palmer. In the second half, Chelsea overwhelmed Wolves, with Joao Felix—who completed his £45m transfer from Atletico Madrid earlier in the week—scoring the sixth goal.
Maresca chose not to criticize Madueke for his social media post, instead emphasizing his belief in Madueke’s maturity. He commented, “I trust people to know what is right and wrong. Noni understands his actions and will learn from them. I wasn’t aware of his social media post before the game. What stood out to me was his performance on the pitch, which was exceptional. He showed the right mentality, defending well against their counter-attacks, which aligns with what I expect from my players.”
(BBC)