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Noni Madueke endured a hostile reception on his return to west London on Sunday. Stamford Bridge offered a chorus of boos for the winger even prompting Cole Palmer into a response.

Madueke spent two seasons at Chelsea afterjoining the club in January 2023 from PSV Eindhoven in a £29million deal. The England international scored 20 goals in 92 appearances before departing for London rivals Arsenal.

The Blues made a tidy profit as Madueke left for the Gunners during their successful Club World Cup campaign. Mikel Arteta's side stumped up £52m for his services.

And Madueke made his return in a feisty affair as league leaders Arsenal clashed with their second-place hosts. The winger entered the field after 57 minutes to replace Gabriel Martinelli.

Madueke faced a roughshod reaction on his return. The 23-year-old was repeatedly booed, much to Chelsea talisman Palmer's delight.

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Palmer was named among the substitutes by Enzo Maresca, having been absent since September. The former Man City ace has suffered from a groin injury and a broken toe.

The Blues superstar did not make it onto the pitch but was warming up on the sideline as Chelsea's fans opened a chorus of boos for Madueke. Footage on social media shows Palmer turning towards the crowd and nodding emphatically in approval.

Palmer wasn't the only player seeming to target Madueke either. After the Arsenal winger fell to the floor following a challenge from Enzo Fernandez, he faced a vocal onslaught.

After a successful clearance, Fernandez and Marc Cucurella shouted in the face of Madueke in celebration. The Spurs academy product was sat on the turf as his former team-mates made their feelings clear.

Madueke was offered a more friendly response when the full-time whistle came. Chelsea captain Reece James offered a hug to the winger as the scores finished even.

Maduke could not help his side claim three points against 10 men as Arsenal laboured to a stalemate despite their advantage.

"First of all, I think it was a proper London derby," said Arteta. "It was really tense, and you could sense from the beginning that every duel, every action, has something on it.

"Two teams very willing to win, and not much football. A lot of stops, free-kicks, yellow cards, so not a lot of fluidity. But obviously after the sending-off of [Moises] Caicedo, we wanted to settle the game. We didn't manage to do that - we had four more yellow cards, and those players were obviously targeted in order to even the game in terms of numbers."

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