Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has warned Nicolas Jackson that his red card at Newcastle United must serve as a big learning curve for the striker.
The Blues faced a setback when they were trailing 1-0 and found it challenging to gain an advantage in a critical match at St James’ Park. Jackson committed a foul by thrusting his forearm into the face of Sven Botman. Initially, referee John Brooks issued a yellow card to the Senegalese player but was later advised by the VAR to review the decision on the monitor, which led to Jackson being sent off.
Jackson’s lack of discipline drew widespread criticism from both fans and commentators. Maresca, who did not acknowledge the player as he left the field, cautioned that immediate changes are necessary.
“There’s no question, absolutely, Nico needs to learn,” Maresca commented after the match. “He will now be suspended for the remainder of the season, and it’s imperative he learns for the future.”
Jackson, who received a straight red card for the first time since March 2022, will miss Chelsea’s final two games of the Premier League season as they aim to secure a top-five finish and play in next season’s Champions League. Sunday’s defeat could’ve proven costly, but Nottingham Forest’s subsequent 2-2 draw with Leicester meant the Blues ended the weekend in fifth.
“This season is finished for him and he’s our No 9, our striker. We will need to find a different solution for the last two games. We have to avoid these kind of things because we need all our squad available,” Maresca, who was also without Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu on Sunday, added.
Chelsea arguably performed better with ten men than they did with 11 on Tyneside, but the Italian insisted that Jackson’s dismissal was influential in deciding the outcome. Bruno Guimaraes sealed Newcastle’s nervy victory with a deflected strike from distance late on.
“For sure the red card affected the game,” he said. “Against this team, in this stadium, it’s already complicated and if you give them one extra player it’s difficult but overall I think, especially in the second half, we created big chances even with ten players when it’s not easy.
“If the referee decides a red card, it’s a red card, but in some different decisions in this stadium, sometimes it’s the noise [which] decides if it’s a foul or not.”
The Blues are level on points with Aston Villa in fifth and a point ahead of seventh-place Forest. The final day tussle at the City Ground will undoubtedly prove decisive in what’s been a hotly competitive race for Champions League football.
