Nicolas Jackson aims savage gesture at Mateo Kovacic after Chelsea won penalty during 4-4 draw with Manchester City
Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson was seen making a gesture at Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic after the Blues received a penalty in their Premier League clash.
The west London outfit drew 4-4 against the Cityzens in an exhilarating encounter at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, November 12. Erling Haaland (25') opened the scoring with a penalty after Marc Cucurella fouled the Norwegian in the box.
Thiago Silva (29') equalized for the Blues just four minutes later. Raheem Sterling then put Chelsea 2-1 up after converting Reece James' assist in the 37th minute. Manuel Akanji scored for Manchester City in stoppage time of the first half, with the score 2-2 heading into the break.
Haaland earned his side the lead once again just two minutes after the second half commenced, assisted by Julian Alvarez. Jackson put the ball past Ederson after Conor Gallagher's shot was saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper.
Rodri then scored what seemed to be the match-winner after finding the back of the net in the 86th minute, causing worry for Chelsea fans. The Blues, however, came back from behind for the third time after Armando Broja was fouled in the penalty box by Ruben Dias.
Cole Palmer, who joined Chelsea signed from Manchester City for £42.5 million this summer, stepped up to the spot and slammed it into the back of the net. After winning the penalty, Jackson was caught on camera telling Kovacic to shush in a heated argument, which can be seen below in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Kovacic previously spent five years at Stamford Bridge, making 221 appearances, before joining Manchester City in the summer.
"I couldn’t expect it" - Pep Guardiola makes admission about Manchester City's position in the league after Chelsea draw
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that he did not expect his side to be at the top of the league table ahead of the international break. The Spanish boss revealed that he was skeptical after City's 1-0 loss to Arsenal on October 8.
After his side's draw with Chelsea, Guardiola said in his post-match interview:
"It is important that we go into the international break top of the league, I couldn’t expect it after the Arsenal game when we lost."
He added on the Blues' performance:
"Chelsea are so dangerous, they are a really, really good team. Liverpool could not win, Arsenal... They were much, much better than Arsenal and then Arsenal drew at the end."
The Cityzens are currently first in the league table after nine wins, one draw, and two losses in their first 12 league encounters. They are one point ahead of second-placed Liverpool, whom they host after the break.
The Blues, meanwhile, are 10th in the league standings after four wins, draws, and losses each in the English top tier this term.