Chelsea fans watch unseen moment Nicolas Jackson saves teammate from receiving yellow card
Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez had Nicolas Jackson to thank for avoiding a disciplinary tightrope.
Fernández scored Chelsea's third in a exciting 4-3 victory over Tottenham on Sunday, scoring his third goal in his last four league games.
The Argentine was on hand to finish off a powerful left-footed shot after Cole Palmer's initial attempt was blocked.
Since his goal put Chelsea ahead 3-2 after they trailed 2-0 inside 11 minutes, Fernandez was ready to celebrate in a way that matched the importance of his goal.
As he walked away, Fernández began to pull his shirt over his head.
However, Jackson held on to the bottom of Fernandez's shirt so he couldn't take it off.
If Fernández had taken off his shirt, he would have received a yellow card.
Several Chelsea fans noticed Jackson's quick thinking and shared their thoughts on social media.
One user wrote on
Another said: “Wait, Jackson stopped him from taking off his shirt and getting booked.”
Fortunately, the Chelsea vice-captain had not received a booking earlier in the match, so he would not have been sent off.
Fernández would also not have run the risk of receiving a suspension for accumulated yellow cards, given that he has only been cautioned once this season.
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But the Argentinian now knows that Jackson will have his back when it comes to avoiding an unnecessary yellow card, as long as he is close.
Tottenham had built a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevksi, with Blues defender Marc Cucurella guilty of both.
But Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho started the comeback in the 17th minute with a shot from the edge of the area.
Cole Palmer equalized in the 61st minute from the spot before Fernandez put Chelsea ahead shortly after.
Palmer scored the visitors' fourth goal with a cheeky Panenka, while Heung-Min Son's injury-time strike proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
The victory was Chelsea's fourth in a row in the league and was also the first time since April 2018 that they came back from two goals down to take all three points.
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It also took Chelsea to 31 points, putting them just four behind league leaders Liverpool.
Despite closing the gap on the Reds, Blues coach Enzo Maresca refused to declare that his team is in the title race.
“After the game, my message to the players was to focus day by day, on our session, the next game on Thursday and then on Sunday,” Maresca said.
“The main objective has to be to enjoy the day off and when we return, at 100 percent, train well and go for the game.
“The fans can dream because from the outside it is quite clear and from the inside the reality is that we are not prepared but the important thing is that we improve day by day.”
Maresca's team will look to keep the momentum going on Thursday when they travel to Kazakhstan for a Europa Conference League match against Astana.
