Maresca SLAMS Mudryk after half-time substitution

Cameron Smith

• 25 Aug 2024 20:15 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has admitted he “was not happy” with Mykhailo Mudryk’s performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Ukraine international was rewarded with a place in the starting XI at Molineux, but he was hooked at half-time, with summer signing Pedro Neto taking his place.

Chelsea went on to win 6-2 and Neto grabbed an assist for his countryman Joao Felix - who marked his second Blues debut with a fabulous finish.

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After the match, Maresca revealed why he opted to take Mudryk off after just 45 minutes. “Because I was not happy,” the Italian admitted.

“I think in some moments we can manage some situations better. He was working very hard off the ball and that was very good. But in terms of on the ball, I expect a bit more quality from Misha.

“For me, he had some good moments the other day and some good moments today and the reason why was just because we needed to change and give Pedro [Neto] some minutes.”

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Mudryk joined Chelsea for an initial €70 million from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, but he only has seven goals in 59 appearances for the west London club.

Noni Madueke stars

While Mudryk flattered to deceive, Noni Madueke starred and he grabbed his first Chelsea hat-trick after a sensational performance at Molineux.

The Englishman notched three goals in the space of just 14 second-half minutes, with Cole Palmer assisting all three strikes.

“I can judge Noni's performance - it was fantastic,” Maresca said during his post-match press conference. “Not only the second-half but also the first-half, he was always one-v-one creating something.

“From day one I've said he is the kind of winger I really like. He is working really well for us. The best thing today from Noni was not his hat-trick but the way he defended. 90 minutes, that showed the right mentality that I'm demanding from the players.”