Noni Madueke was awarded his tenth start of the 2025/26 season when Arsenal visited Portsmouth in the FA Cup.
The Gunners passed their FA Cup third round test with flying colours, beating Portsmouth 4-1 in a dramatic contest at Fratton Park.
Mikel Arteta made 10 changes to his squad, which was to be expected amid Arsenal’s harsh away schedule.
One change saw Madueke come into the fold to start on the right wing, a change that paid off for Arteta, as the winger had a hand in two of the goals.
Who was your Arsenal Man of the Match vs Portsmouth?
Mikel Arteta won’t be entirely impressed with Noni Madueke’s performance against Portsmouth
After spending some time on the bench, Madueke has impressed recently since earning more minutes.
It was surprising to see Madueke’s game time reduce; however, fans had one idea why it might’ve happened: his defensive weaknesses.
Arteta is so demanding of his players to win duels, with defensive strength needed from every position on the pitch.
So, while Madueke might’ve been impressive going forward against Portsmouth, the usual lapses in defensive concentration wouldn’t have slipped Arteta’s mind.
Give us two positives and two negatives of Noni Madueke’s performance vs Portsmouth 👇
The summer signing was responsible for Portsmouth’s opener, losing the ball on the flank, then failing to win it back, and it happened more than once.
Portsmouth managed to dribble past the Arsenal winger twice in the match, which would’ve infuriated Arteta.
Arteta has already been spotted shouting at Madueke to improve his levels, so his display against Portsmouth would’ve given the boss mixed emotions.
Arsenal fans weren’t happy with Noni Madueke penalty incident
It wasn’t only Arteta who might have something to say about Madueke’s performance, but Arsenal fans too.
On X, supporters expressed their annoyance with the 23-year-old because of how eager he was to take the penalty he won.
It reminded Arsenal fans of Madueke’s petulance over penalty taking with Cole Palmer at Chelsea, which wasn’t received well.
How did you feel about Noni Madueke taking the penalty?
“Noni Madueke has to show more maturity. Winning the penalty doesn’t automatically make it yours to take. That Chelsea‑style chaos can’t be happening at Arsenal,” one fan wrote.
Another had the same frustration, posting, “As Madueke rushed to carry the ball for the penalty, I immediately saw Chelsea spirit in his body.”
One fan called Madueke ‘foolish’ for his actions, “Madueke hugging the ball to play the penalty is foolish. This is not Chelsea, know your place boy. Arrogant and foolish.”
They weren’t the only ones to form the Chelsea link, “NONI MADUEKE THIS IS NOT CHELSEA, WE DON’T BALL HOG WHEN WE GET A PENALTY..”
It was an outing of mixed emotions for Madueke, who did very well going forward, but defensively and with his penalty, he lacked.
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