Tim Sherwood called out for 'disrespectful' comment about Nicolas Jackson after Chelsea's win over Brentford

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has been criticised for comments made about Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.

On Sunday night, Chelsea looked to close the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool as they welcomed London rivals Brentford to Stamford Bridge.

Defender Marc Cucurella and striker Jackson scored twice as the Blues came away 2-1 winners. Bryan Mbeumo was the scorer for the Bees.

Speaking after the match, Sherwood described Jackson as 'unpredictable' and likened some of his performances to 'someone playing in Soccer Aid'.

He said on Premier League Productions: "Not just today, I think all season, well, since I’ve seen Nicolas Jackson, he’s so unpredictable.

"At times he looks like someone playing in Soccer Aid who’s not a footballer. Look at this chance [Jackson’s miss from six yards], that looks like someone who is a rapper or an actor or something trying to play football."

Sherwood added: "But then all of a sudden he just turns it on. He’s such a threat because he tries to get in behind, he doesn’t mind if he misses chances because he knows his one will come."

Reacting on social media, one fan said: "Sorry but what Sherwood has said about Jackson is absolutely disgusting."

Another tweeted: "These comments are inappropriate and equate to racial stereotyping. Tim Sherwood should be ashamed."

A third fan added: "Tim Sherwood's 'rapper' remark on Nicolas Jackson isn't even undertones, just straight 'overtones' with it..."

SPORTbible has contacted Premier League Productions for comment.

Despite being just two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca does not believe his men are in the hunt for the title.

He said: "No matter how many games we win, I think we are not ready to compete for the title.

"One of the reasons why is that the team that knows how to compete to win titles, they won't concede goals we concede. A team that knows how to win titles, that is not a goal they know how to concede.

"Just two teams have conceded less than us. Defensively we're not doing bad. We'd like to end with a clean sheet but there's another team trying to score."

Chelsea will return to action on Thursday when they take on Shamrock Rovers in the Europa Conference League.