Noni Madueke didn't hesitate after Chelsea were awarded a late penalty by VAR against Crystal Palace. The winger quickly took hold of the match ball and steadied himself for what proved to be the decisive moment of the game.
‘I am confident from the spot; I scored one earlier this season [against AFC Wimbledon],' Madueke later explained. 'So when I saw the VAR give the penalty, there was no doubt in my mind that I would take it.'
There was no sign the pressure of the moment affected Madueke. If anything, the 21-year-old embraced it. He stuttered on his run-up, got a read of goalkeeper Dean Henderson's intentions, and calmly stroked the ball into the opposite corner.
The goal secured a victory Chelsea deserved and ensured we signed off at Stamford Bridge in 2023 with three points. Madueke's impact after being introduced midway through the second period was key to that.
The Blues had taken an early lead through Mykhailo Mudryk but went into the interval level after Michael Olise struck in first-half stoppage time. Chelsea pushed and probed in the second period, and were finally rewarded with one minute of the 90 remaining.
It was Madueke who won the spot kick as he drew a foul from Olise following a Chelsea corner. ‘I knew it was a foul, the only thing was whether it was inside or outside the box,' he reflected. 'Credit to VAR, they made the right decision.
The winger continued: ‘Today was a must-win game. There have been similar games in the season that we should have won and haven’t quite got the rub of the green. So I’m happy today we’ve done the business and got the three points.'
Madueke's appearance against Palace was only his tenth of the season. It has been a campaign of interruptions thus far for the England Under-21 international.
‘It’s been a stop-start campaign for me,' he said. 'I’ve had little niggles, little injuries, things that haven’t quite gone my way. I'm happy to have an impact off the bench today and whether I start the next game – or have the same impact off the bench – is up to the manager.’
Our victory over Palace made it six games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge in all competitions. It also closed the gap to the sides above the Blues in the Premier League table ahead of Saturday's trip to Luton Town.
However, further improvement is still required, something which Madueke highlighted after last night's win. ‘It’s about consistency for us at the moment, that is the big thing,' he said.
'We play good football and are scoring goals now – I remember last season we weren’t scoring those goals. We’re probably conceding a few too many but I just feel it’s that consistency we need to get down. Once we do, we’ll be a really good team.
'We’ve had some very good performances this season where we haven’t got the rub of the green. It’s a process and where we are now will not define us come the end of the season.’