Jackson red card: Maresca makes feelings clear on Chelsea forward after Newcastle folly

Despite a red card for Nicolas Jackson and an eventual 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United, Enzo Maresca lauded his Chelsea side's fantastic spirit, acknowledging that their final two matches are now crucial for Champions League qualification.

Maresca expressed his pride in the London side's resilience after they played with 10 men for over an hour in their defeat against the Magpies. 

Despite being a player down, the Blues created several opportunities to equalise in the second half, with Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez and Reece James all going close.

Ultimately, the Blues were unable to secure a deserved point, leaving Maresca to acknowledge that their final two league games are now must-win in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.

Jackson was sent off for serious foul play following a VAR review and will now miss the crucial matches against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. 

Maresca stated he would speak to the forward later and emphasised the need for the striker to learn from the incident, especially at this critical stage of the season.

“I didn’t speak to Nico, it’s not the moment,” said the Italian manager. “We will speak in the next day. No doubt he has to learn from it, especially at this stage of the season where we have two more games. 

“You have to avoid this kind of thing. You need all your squad available. It happened, and he will be out. Hopefully he can learn for the future.

“He is our nine, the other one is Marc Guiu who has been injured for three months and is close to being back. We need to find a different solution for the last two games that are important.”

What’s next for Chelsea?

The Blues host Europa League finalists Man Utd on Friday in their final home fixture of the Premier League season.