Rio Ferdinand calls for Chelsea star to be fined two-weeks’ wages for ‘disrespectful’ behaviour in Blues’ draw against Arsenal

Rio Ferdinand has criticized one of Chelsea’s brightest talents for a ‘disrespectful’ act in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal and called for a fine of two weeks’ wages.

Enzo Maresca’s side went into the crunch match having beaten Armenian minnows FC Noah eight past in the Europa Conference League this week, sitting above their London rivals on goal difference.

But a turgid opening 45 minutes at Stamford Bridge saw them fall behind thanks to a Gabriel Martinelli finish just past the post after returning captain Martin Odegaard found him free in the box.

The deficit did not last long as Pedro Neto restored parity in the summer with a long-range effort to secure his first Premier League goal for the club.

A young star was substituted between the two goals and his reaction did not go down well with Ferdinand and the former Manchester United defender explained his disapproval on his podcast Rio Ferdinand presents.

Rio Ferdinand argued that the winger’s behavior was ‘disrespectful’ and that he should be fined

Manager Enzo Maresca refused to criticize the 22-year-old for his display of frustration

With his side a goal behind, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke was replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk and immediately stormed into the tunnel in frustration after a disappointing hour on the pitch.

Ferdinand said: ‘Do you think (Danny) Welbeck, Tom Cleverley or Nani will storm off the pitch and throw their doll out?

‘It’s a young team. Who are the experienced players that go in there and say, “Woah, we don’t accept that here.”

“And I understand his thinking, but at the same time I don’t understand why you do that.”

The former England international added that it was up to Maresca to lay down the law.

“That’s where the manager comes in,” he said. ‘I think the manager who protects him is crazy.

‘And that’s why I couldn’t be there [as a manager] because I couldn’t come out and play the game where you say, “Yes, he was wrong, but… [he’s a good kid]’. Fine, that’s a fine of two weeks.’

After the match, Maresca defended his decision to hook Madueke early, but did not criticize the England star for his behaviour.

Madueke had been replaced by Ukrainian star Mykhailo Mudryk, who was full of running

Gabriel Martinelli fired Arsenal ahead against Chelsea, but the match ended in a 1–1 draw

Chelsea earned a point after a fine equalizer from former Wolves playmaker Pedro Neto

He said: ‘The problem is that when you change players he or she is never happy.

‘Probably the only way to be happy is after the Wolves game where he scored a hat-trick and we substituted him, so he was happy. It’s not just about Noni, it’s about all the players.

‘That’s a good thing, because they want to be there until the end. But at that moment we were thinking in different ways: Pedro with Timber could probably be a little bit more aggressive – and also with Misha.

“So it was a tactical decision, nothing more than that.”

Madueke, 22, entered the derby full of fighting talk and looked disconsolate as he realized he would not get the chance to drag his side back into the match.

Before the match he said: ‘There is always a bit of bragging among the boys, but I will definitely try to win on Sunday, just like my teammates.

‘It’s just like any other Premier League game, but there’s always that extra rivalry when you play with them for the national team.

‘When we don’t win we are always frustrated and Manchester United were exactly the same, we have to try to win those games. We also lost points against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace.’

Kai Havertz had silenced Chelsea fans after scoring a goal that was ultimately disallowed

In the final seconds, Leandro Trossard failed to poke home a cross from a few yards away

Madueke now turns his attention to a busy international break with Lee Carsley’s England

The much-hyped derby saw Chelsea take on Arsenal again, hoping for their first Premier League win in four seasons, but the opening period proved a turgid affair.

Kai Havertz thought he had given the Gunners an advantage over his former team and celebrated enthusiastically after a clever finish, before VAR ruled him in an offside position.

The second half was slightly more open, especially after Martinelli’s opener, and after Chelsea’s equalizer the ball was soon back in the back of the net.

Nicolas Jackson raced through on goal and produced a nerveless finish, but even he knew he was yards offside, raising questions about why the linesman hadn’t flagged it sooner.

Chelsea looked more likely to score towards the end, but Arsenal had the biggest chance through Trossard in the final seconds.

Madueke must now shake off the disappointment of Sunday’s draw, which left both sides nine points behind leaders Liverpool, and prepare for an important series of Nations League games against Greece and Ireland this week.