Noni Madueke has admitted his surprise towards the reaction to his departure down the tunnel after being substituted in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal, insisting he was simply going to the toilet.

Madueke started the game but, after an ineffective showing, was substituted with 20 minutes remaining. He cut a frustrated figure and headed straight down the tunnel, sparking significant criticism despite the fact he returned shortly after.

Rio Ferdinand was one of many to publicly criticise Madueke for leaving the game, claiming the “disrespectful” winger deserved a “two-week fine” for abandoning his teammates.

Madueke, however, stressed he was simply going to the toilet, as he does after every match.

“I literally went down the tunnel to go to the toilet and I came back 30 seconds later,” a bemused Madueke explained. “If you watch a lot of games when I come off, I always going straight down the tunnel to go to the toilet.

“It is nothing major at all.”

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had previously insisted he had no issues with Madueke being disappointed with his substitution.

“When you change a player, they are never happy,” the Blues manager said. “Probably the only way to be happy is like the Wolves game, when he scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy.”

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