Worrying Nicolas Jackson footage surfaces from Chelsea's win over Tottenham

Nicolas Jackson had a Sunday to forget at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he struggled to keep his emotions in check even though his Chelsea team-mates pulled a result out of the bag.

Jackson has been superb this season, netting eight goals and providing three assists in the Premier League alone. But the 23-year-old was ineffective before being hooked off in the 76th minute against Spurs.

Not only did he fail to contribute to any of the three Chelsea goals that had already hit the net by that point in the match, he also trudged to the sidelines without registering a single shot on target, recording a key pass or completing a successful dribble.

What Chelsea fans saw once Jackson took his spot on the bench was equally concerning. A Tottenham supporter sat directly behind him captured close-quarters footage of the striker who, instead of watching and cheering on his team-mates with the match poised at 3-2, was sulking with his head tucked away inside his shirt.

Jackson did not lift his head up to look at the game for the duration of the minute-long clip, which may spark concerns about the player getting more caught up in his own performance than Chelsea’s bid to get the three points.

Some may also be keen to see Jackson take a greater control over his emotions. The Senegal international’s sulk continued even after the full-time whistle confirmed a 4-3 win for the visitors.

When Chelsea players flocked to the away end to applaud the travelling support, Jackson lagged behind, buried in the hood of his coat. Manager Enzo Maresca even ran back to put an arm around his shoulder and bring him over to the rest of the group.

Jackson’s actions are evidence that, with the level of squad depth Maresca has at his disposal, each first-team player is under big pressure at Chelsea. Jackson has been given the nod in the Premier League this season, but back-up forward Christopher Nkunku is knocking on the door, having been prolific in other competitions.

Nevertheless, Maresca continues to show faith in Jackson. And Kalidou Koulibaly believes that’s for good reason, with the former Chelsea defender backing his countryman to one day win the Ballon d’Or.

“Nico Jackson has to believe he can be world class,” he told GIVEMESPORT. “All the players who have won the Ballon d’Or believed they could. So you have to put this in Nico’s head. I don’t tell him to be selfish and ignore his team-mates, but he has to think about the Ballon d’Or. If you put this image in his head, he can achieve it. And that’s what I tell him all the time.”