Chelsea blew an advantage in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace to drop more points in this poor run of form.
It’s now four games in the Premier League without a win for Chelsea after slipping up at Selhurst Park this weekend.
Cole Palmer’s 13th league goal of the season put the Blues in front, but Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta grabbed a late equaliser for the home side.
Enzo Maresca praises Nicolas Jackson performance
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was complimentary of Nicolas Jackson after the striker’s performance today at Palace.
The 23-year-old Blues frontman led the line as always with plenty of enthusiasm and aggression. Unfortunately, he came up short again in the shooting department to waste some golden opportunities to clinch victory.
When discussing Jackson’s performance against Palace, Maresca said via Football.London: “For a striker, sometimes all the chances they score and sometimes they have chances and don’t score. The important thing is Nico today had two or three clear chances – so he is there, he is ready and hopefully next time he can be a little bit more lucky but overall, I think Nico did a good game today.”
Jackson, the £32m striker (The Guardian), should be comforted by the fact that he clearly has the support of the manager.
Edouard Mendy claims Chelsea’s Jackson has improved as a player this season, but it feels like he’s slipping back into the same bad habits in front of goal as his debut campaign.
Thierry Henry also rates Chelsea forward Jackson by suggesting he’s on the path to a big future. Some fans will question whether he’ll ever become a natural finisher in the penalty box, though.
Nicolas Jackson’s shocking statistic vs Crystal Palace
While there’s no doubting Jackson’s endeavor and attitude, the goals have dried up for him recently. It’s now four consecutive league appearances for the Senegalese striker without finding the back of the net.
Like in recent games, Jackson failed to bring his shooting boots for the trip to Palace.
| Minutes played | Total shots | Shots on target | Successful dribbles | Touches in opposition box | Accurate passes | Match rating |
| 81 | 4 | 0 | 1/2 (50%) | 9 | 9/12 (75%) | 6.1 |
The most eye-catching statistic from above is that Jackson had zero shots on target from four attempts in the weekend’s match.
Chelsea don’t play in the league again until 14 January at home to Bournemouth because there’s an FA Cup tie with Morecambe next Saturday, so perhaps it’s a good period of time for Jackson to reset and do some extra shooting drills on the training ground.
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