Chelsea took another step in the right direction towards European football for next season with a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues ran out 2-0 winners against their London rivals on Thursday night to move up to eighth in the division, two points behind Newcastle United in seventh.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have four matches left to play as they aim to finish within the top seven, or the top six, to secure Europa Conference League or Europa League football for the 2024/25 campaign, after a year without competing in any international tournaments.
Trevoh Chalobah scored the first goal for Chelsea on Thursday as the central defender brilliantly headed Conor Gallagher's free-kick into the back of the net.
Nicolas Jackson was then the quickest to react to Cole Palmer's superb free-kick hitting the crossbar to head the ball over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the line to make it 2-0 in the second half.
Chalobah, Gallagher, Jackson, and Palmer were not the only impressive performers on the night as winger Noni Madueke put in another superb display, which should now make him undroppable for Pochettino heading into the final four games.
Noni Madueke's performance against Spurs in numbers
The former PSV starlet was selected to start on the right of the attack, with Cole Palmer in the middle and Mykhailo Mudryk on the left behind Nicolas Jackson upfront.
GOAL reporter Matt O'Connor-Simpson rewarded Madueke with a match rating of 7/10 for his performance against the Lilywhites, hailing his 'exciting' one-on-one player and hard work defensively.
The left-footed wizard ended the game without registering a goal or an assist for his efforts but that does not mean that he had an unproductive evening at Stamford Bridge.
Minutes played
90
Key passes
2
Dribbles completed
5/7
Duels won
11/17
Tackles made
2
As you can see in the table above, the English gem worked hard for the team and showcased his physicality by winning 11 of his 17 duels throughout the game, including 100% (2/2) of his aerial battles.
There was one questionable moment, however, when he appeared to pull Emerson Royal back in the box but the referee did not deem it to be a foul, which resulted in the winger breaking up an attack and winning possession back for his side.
His five completed dribbles were the most by any player on the pitch for the Blues – one more than Palmer's four – and this speaks to the progression he offered on the ball, with his ability to drive past opposition players to open up space for himself and his teammates.
Pochettino must now consider Madueke to be undroppable on current form, as that performance against Spurs was the latest in a string of impressive showings.
Noni Madueke's form for Chelsea this season
The 22-year-old magician has not been a regular starter for the Blues throughout the Premier League season, with just nine starts in 19 appearances so far.
However, the Chelsea youngster, who was once hailed as a "mentality monster" by personal coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst, has started each of the club's last five top-flight games and has done enough in those matches to prove that he deserves to be the nailed-on choice in his position.
In those five clashes, Madueke scored two goals, provided one assist, created six chances, and completed 15 of his attempted dribbles on the wing.
This means that the young whiz has averaged three completed dribbles per game over the last five games, whilst only two players in the entire Premier League have completed more than 2.5 dribbles per match this season – Manchester City's Jeremy Doku and West Ham United's Mohammed Kudus.
Madueke ranks within the top 7% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive carries per 90 (6.72) and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90 (2.85) over the current campaign, which speaks to his ability to progress the team up the field with his ball-carrying skills.
The England U21 international has also scored four goals from an xG of 1.73, with zero 'big chances missed' in nine league starts for Chelsea, which shows that the potential is there for him to offer a goal threat if his teammates can create opportunities for him.
Overall, these statistics, from the win over Spurs and the season overall, show that the Blues ace offers quality defensive work, superb ball-carrying in transition, and a goal threat, which is why he should now be undroppable for Pochettino heading into the last four games of the Premier League season.
The alternatives to Noni Madueke
Madueke being undroppable means that other players would be left to sit on the bench and wait for their opportunities to come as a substitute.
Raheem Sterling, who could return from a back injury against West Ham United this weekend, is one player who could miss out as a result of the position on the right wing being nailed down.
The England international has scored six goals from an xG of 6.16 and missed 11 'big chances' in 21 Premier League starts for Chelsea this season.
This means that he has scored two more goals than Madueke whilst missing 11 more 'big chances' and started 12 more games in the league, which suggests that the former Manchester City star has been considerably less efficient in front of goal than his compatriot.
The experienced Blues number seven has also completed just 38% of his attempted dribbles in the Premier League this term, and this means that he has been far too easy for opposition defenders to tackle, as they have dispossessed him in the majority of his attempts to run past them with the ball.
Cesare Casadei, who can play in midfield or on the wing, is another option but he is yet to start any of his eight Premier League appearances for the club so far.
The Italy U21 international also started just eight of his 22 matches for Leicester City on loan in the Championship during the first half of the campaign, which does not suggest that he is ready to be thrown into starting top-flight outings for Chelsea.
Therefore, Madueke should be deemed to be undroppable for Pochettino when you factor in his fantastic performances on the pitch and the lack of quality alternatives to him at this moment in time.