Maresca ´100% happy´ with two-goal hero Jackson following win over West Ham

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was full of praise for striker Nicolas Jackson following his brace in their 3-0 victory away to West Ham on Saturday.

The Senegalese’s double came inside the opening 18 minutes of the match, making it Chelsea’s earliest-ever brace scored in a London derby in the Premier League.

“We are 100% happy with Nicolas,” said Maresca, speaking to BBC Sport after full-time.

“Since I arrived here, he’s been very good on the ball in terms of goals and assists… but he also did a fantastic job off the ball.

“We are very happy.”

On the victory itself, which lifted Chelsea to second in the Premier League table prior to the remainder of Saturday’s matches, Maresca said there was still more to come from his players.

“It has been a good game, a good result and the clean sheet was very important. But as I have said many times, we have many things to improve,” he said.

“We can attack better, we can defend better, but overall we are [going] in the right direction.

“I think we can attack better, we can defend better, but especially we can manage the moments better.

“Sometimes, we can do more passes and keep the ball, but it’s a process and we are learning.

“The points are important, but in this moment, the most important thing and the main focus for me is the way we progress.”

18 – With two goals after just 18 minutes, Nicolas Jackson’s brace is the now earliest scored by a Chelsea player in a London derby in the Premier League. Decisive. pic.twitter.com/RdGxcu4595

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 21, 2024

Man of the moment Jackson echoed his manager’s sentiments after the match, saying he is concentrating on working hard after reaching four league goals for 2024-25.

“[I am] trying to play for the team every game. I scored two and I am happy – we won which is most important,” he said to TNT Sports.

“We controlled the game early. Always the keepers go one side and it was a good finish [for his opening goal].

“[There has been] plenty of talk and I have been injured for two months, I came back fresh and I hope to get more. I am trying to work hard and do more than last year.”

Cole Palmer scored Chelsea’s third goal just over a minute into the second half, but he was quick to draw attention to Jackson’s contribution.

“Everybody knows he is a top player, he needs to keep going,” said Palmer.

“The Chelsea fans and players rate him highly – we know what he is capable of.

“There will always be noise, we try to block it out and listen to the manager. We have a good manager and it can only help us to get better.”