Chelsea hero Noni Madueke reveals what he said to Conor Gallagher before taking crucial penalty against Crystal Palace as Blues winger opens up on ‘difficult’ period

The Blues initially took the lead with Mykhailo Mudryk's early goal but went into halftime level after Michael Olise's equaliser in first-half stoppage time. However, Chelsea's persistence in the second period paid off, with Madueke winning the decisive penalty in the last minute after drawing a foul from Olise following a corner. After VAR confirmed that it was indeed an infringement inside the box, the winger took hold of the ball and assured Gallagher that he would score from 12 yards in what was the decisive blow to Palace.

Speaking to Chelsea's official channels after the match, Madueke said: "It was always gonna be mine, I’m confident, confident from the spot so yeah. I just told him [Gallagher] don’t worry I’ll score. I scored one earlier this season [against AFC Wimbledon]. So when I saw the VAR give the penalty, there was no doubt in my mind that I would take it."

Madueke has found it difficult to nail down a starting berth under Mauricio Pochettino as he has struggled with a couple of muscle injuries since the start of the campaign. He admitted that it has been a rough start to his journey in west London but vowed to make an "impact" whenever he is handed the opportunity by the manager.

"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."

Madueke has made just 10 appearances this season, mostly from the bench, and the strike against Palace was his first Premier League goal of the season. He now has two strikes to his name across all competitions, both from the spot.

Madueke is already looking ahead and emphasised the importance of consistency for Chelsea as the Blues will be eager to close down the gap with the top-four sides by building on the momentum after this victory.

"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."

Chelsea face a tricky trip to Luton Town next on Saturday afternoon in what will be their last game of 2023.