Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has leapt to the defence of Noni Madueke after the winger was seen laughing in the aftermath of the Blues’ FA Cup semi-final defeat against Manchester City. The west London giants were narrowly beaten 1-0 in the Wembley clash, with Bernardo Silva scoring the only goal of the game.
Chelsea have struggled for form in recent years but reached the last four of the FA Cup following a quarter-final victory over Leicester. The semi-final proved a tight affair, with the Blues holding firm until Silva’s strike in the 84th minute. And the result ended Chelsea’s hopes of clinching silverware this season as their trophyless run extended to more than two years.
The television cameras panned around the national stadium as the full-time whistle sounded, with legendary Brazil defender Thiago Silva in tears on the pitch. But in the background, Madueke could be seen laughing with Jack Grealish.
The footage evoked negative emotions among some Chelsea fans. But Cucurella believes too much has been made of the incident.
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“It was out of context,” the left-back told The Athletic. “A lot of players have different personalities. For sure, Noni was not happy because he always loves to win. He wants to win every game in training. [In] every action he shows it. I understand why the fans are not happy because we lost and he maybe showed he was happy. But, for sure, he was not happy. We know him.”
Madueke played 79 minutes against the Citizens after starting three other FA Cup encounters earlier this season. The 22-year-old has featured heavily in recent weeks but has only contributed eight goals and two assists in 41 Blues appearances since joining the club from PSV at the start of last year.
