Mauricio Pochettino jumped to the defence of Nicolas Jackson after an angry Chelsea fan made his feelings known during Saturday's Premier League clash against Brentford.
It was an afternoon to forget for the Blues as second-half goals from Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo sealed a 2-0 victory for the visitors.
Thomas Frank's side recorded their second league win of the campaign and climbed to 14th, while Chelsea remain in 10th as several players continue to struggle for form.
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Nicolas Jackson may feel disappointed by his start to life in England's top flight. The 22-year-old, a £32 million signing from Villarreal, has scored just two goals in the league so far.
And after struggling for periods during Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge, one supporter voiced his frustrations at the Senegal international.
According to football writer Rahman Osman, the fan said, "Why don't you score a goal" towards Jackson, who responded with a finger on the lip gesture as if to say quiet.
Moments later and Mauricio Pochettino intervened. The Argentine manager is said to have jumped to the defence of his player before yelling back at the supporter. He reportedly shouted, "Support the team".
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Here's how social media reacted to the incident.
One fan wrote: "Never understand why fans turn on players during these types of annoying tough games, that’s literally what the opponents hope for. Park the bus and wait for the fans to turn so the players lose focus/rush things. Playing directly into the psychological side of Brentford’s strategy."
A second commented: "Absolutely moronic behaviour from fans. Back the team," while a third added: "Imagine calling yourself a fan and getting into your own player’s head. Shameful."
Mauricio Pochettino is clearly a big fan of Jackson. Back in August, he backed the striker to become “one of the greatest strikers in the Premier League" after scoring against Luton.
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“We knew Nicolas Jackson’s quality when we signed him, we saw that before," Pochettino said. "It is not that we ask him to run and press the ball, he is quality in the way he recovers the ball, but he also can finish.
“It is only a matter of time, once he settles into the Premier League, he will show it more. Nicolas Jackson has top quality. I have no doubt that he can become one of the greatest strikers in the Premier League.”
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Topics: Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea, Premier League, Brentford
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