“It’s to remember the legend” - Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson explains dancing goal celebration in front of West Ham fans during 3-0 win
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has explained the meaning behind his ‘’Thriller’’ celebration after scoring against West Ham United in London Stadium on Saturday, September 21. The Senegal international bagged a brace to inspire the Blues into an emphatic 0-3 victory against the Hammers in the Premier League.
Nicolas Jackson scored Chelsea’s first goal in the fourth minute as he capitalized on poor defending from hosts West Ham. Fourteen minutes later, he doubled the Blues lead after Moises Caicedo gave him a pass that left him in space by Hammers defenders. Two minutes into the break, Julen Lopetegui’s men's woes were worsened as Jackson teed up Cole Palmer, who then fired home from the edge of the box.
After Jackson opened the scoring for Chelsea just four minutes into the game, his celebration took the headlines as he did some dance moves. When he was asked what the moves meant, he said (via The Independent):
“It’s to remember the legend [Michael] Jackson. I was dreaming about it two days ago so I just did it.”
Had it been that Nicolas Jackson scored a hat trick, we could have seen him hit Cristiano Ronaldo’s SIU celebration. The Senegalese forward said some days ago that he would do the celebration if he scores a hat trick.
Former Chelsea player Michael Essien defends Nicolas Jackson’s outburst to Mikel Obi's criticism
Michael Essien has thrown his weight behind Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson in the heated exchange between the Senegalese and former Blues player Mikel Obi. Essien believes that Jackson hit back at the criticisms because it came from a former player of the club.
Last month, Mikel Obi publicly criticized Nicolas Jackon, saying that the 23-year-old doesn’t possess the qualities needed at the club. It came following Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in their Premier League opener.
In response to the criticism, after Chelsea walloped Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-2 at the Molineux Stadium. Jackson produced an amazing display in the game and took to his Instagram story, posting a picture of himself and captioning it while tagging Mikel. He wrote:
"Shut your mouth, don't talk sh*t; we are killing ourselves for Africa."
His response sparked several reactions from several football fans, most especially Chelsea fans. Meanwhile, Essien believes Jackson responded because he was hurt by Mikel’s criticisms. He told Joy Sports:
"We all have our personalities. Some will say it, but for me, I will just ignore it. Everyone has an opinion, but I think it’s not personal. However, when the criticism comes from ex-players, it hurts the players even more, and then they react."
Jackson will next be in action when Chelsea take on Barrow in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday, September 14.