Why Nicolas Jackson tried to snatch Chelsea penalty from Cole Palmer

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson may have been motivated to try and take a penalty off Cole Palmer during Monday’s thrashing of Everton in order to chase a personal goal target.

The incident marred Chelsea’s best win of an extremely challenging campaign, leading manager Mauricio Pochettino to lose his cool in the post-match press conference when that, rather than the result and performance, was the subject of repeated questions.

The Blues were already winning 4-0 when the spot-kick was awarded for a foul on Palmer, who had completed a hat-trick in the opening 29 minutes of the game. When he was still on the ground, Jackson and Noni Madueke both raced to grab the ball for themselves.

Madueke managed to rip it away, pointing to his chest as if to gesture that he would take it. Jackson refused to drop his claim, leading Thiago Silva to come racing forward in an effort to defuse the situation. Madueke has scored two of his six goals this season from the penalty spot, but neither time Palmer – who is designated taker and had converted eight from eight – was on the pitch.

When Palmer got to his feet and went looking for the ball, Madueke didn’t initially give it up and it was Chelsea skipper Conor Gallagher who then took it at that point to hand over. Bizarrely, Palmer being given the ball prompted an angry Jackson to storm back in and try and grab it a second time.

Despite the circus that preceded it, Palmer kept his cool to convert the penalty, scoring his fourth of the night and taking his tally of Premier League goals for the season to 20, level with Erling Haaland. His overall tally for the campaign as a whole now stands at 23.

The possible reason for Jackson’s actions have since come to light. A report from the Daily Telegraph explains that the Senegal international has set himself a target of reaching 15 Premier League goals this season, even eyeing 20 in all competitions. It implies he may have seen a penalty in a non-pressure moment as an easy opportunity to push his number closer to that personal aim.

Jackson had already scored in the game, netting the team’s fourth of the night just before half-time. It was his tenth in the Premier League this season, leaving him five short of his target with seven games left. It…