TL:DR – Premier League reacts to Arsenal’s Noni Madueke’s plea after Leeds defeat | Football
- Noni Madueke played a crucial role in Arsenal’s 4-0 victory over Leeds United, stepping in due to Bukayo Saka’s injury.
- His cross contributed to Martin Zubimendi’s goal, and his corner was initially ruled an own goal, later credited to Madueke after his appeal.
- The victory boosted Arsenal’s morale after a poor run, setting the stage for their upcoming Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
- Madueke emphasised confidence stemming from the performance, crucial for their title chase.
Premier League responds to Arsenal star Noni Madueke’s request after Leeds thrashing | Football
Noni Madueke started Arsenal’s win over Leeds United (Picture: Getty)
Noni Madueke’s wish has been granted after the Premier League’s dubious goals committee responded positively to his plea following Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Leeds United.
The summer signing from Chelsea was pressed into emergency action on Saturday after Bukayo Saka picked up an injury in the pre-match warm-up.
Madueke answered Mikel Arteta’s call by playing a key role in the first half as the Gunners established a 2-0 lead that helped them record a much-needed win having taken just two points from the previous nine available.
After an evenly contested opening 27 minutes Madueke’s cross helped break the deadlock when Martin Zubimendi powered home a header from seven yards out.
The Gunners doubled their lead nine minutes later when Madueke floated an in-swinging corner towards the near post and the ball ended up in the back of the net after Karl Darlow made a mess of his attempted punch.
Initially, the Leeds goalkeeper was credited with an own goal, much to Madueke’s disappointment, especially given he was still waiting to break his top flight duck for the team he joined in the summer from Chelsea.
‘How can that be an own goal?’ Madueke said after the game.
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‘It was going on target, if the keeper’s not in the goal then it goes in, so, I don’t understand how that’s an own goal.
‘Premier League, please take a look at that and fix it for me.’
The 23-year-old, who had already scored three times in the Champions League this season, received good news on Sunday afternoon when the Premier League issued a clarification.
A statement read: ‘The goal accreditation panel has adjudged Arsenal’s 38th minute goal as a Madueke goal.’
Madueke, meanwhile, revealed Arsenal would keep tabs on their Premier League title rivals’ fixtures on Sunday before preparing for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Chelsea with renewed confidence.
Noni Madueke was eventually credited with scoring direct from a corner (Picture Getty)
‘Adding confidence after a performance like this, not only just the win, but a really dominant performance,’ he said.
‘We’re going into that game on Tuesday knowing what’s at stake and knowing what we need to do.
‘We’re going to watch what (City and Villa) do and focus on our game as well on Tuesday. That’s most important for us.’
After being held to goalless draws by Liverpool and Nottingham Forest and then losing last week to Manchester United, the Londoners responded by out-classing Leeds.
‘It’s massive,’ Madueke said. ‘Obviously, our last couple of performances in the Premier League haven’t been the greatest in terms of results, but this was a real statement.’
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