Enzo Maresca Claims Newcastle Crowd Influenced Nicolas Jackson's Red Card Decision

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Enzo Maresca expressed that the red card shown to Nicolas Jackson during Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Newcastle United was swayed by the home crowd at St. James' Park. Jackson received a red card in the 35th minute for striking Sven Botman with his forearm, initially deemed a yellow card but upgraded after a VAR review.

The early setback made Chelsea's task harder, as they were already trailing due to Sandro Tonali's goal in the second minute. Despite being a player down, Chelsea created opportunities in the second half. Nick Pope made crucial saves against Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, while Reece James missed a significant chance late in the game.

Maresca commented on the difficulty of playing with ten men for an hour against Newcastle at their home ground. "It's already difficult 11 v 11 in this stadium, against this team. Playing one hour with 10 players has not been easy," he remarked about Jackson's dismissal. He suggested that decisions might be influenced by the crowd's noise.

Bruno Guimaraes secured Newcastle's win with a deflected shot past Robert Sanchez in the 90th minute. The defeat ended Chelsea's five-match winning streak across all competitions and dealt a blow to their Champions League qualification hopes.

Chelsea remains fifth in the league standings but risks dropping out of the top five after Sunday's matches, with only two games left in their season. According to Opta's supercomputer, Chelsea has a 48.7% chance of securing a Champions League spot.

Maresca acknowledged that their chances might hinge on results until the final day of the season. "It could be," Maresca added regarding whether the race for the top five could extend to the last matchday.

Focus on Upcoming Matches

Maresca emphasized maintaining focus on upcoming fixtures despite the setback. "We were in a good run, but my message was always the same to the players. The game is gone, think about the next one," he stated, urging his team to concentrate on Friday's match.

He expressed mixed emotions about their performance: "We are upset on one side, on the other, proud of the team because the effort is top." Maresca stressed continuing with similar determination for future games.