Nicolas Jackson Proves Doubters Wrong by Matching Didier Drogba’s Tally with Brace vs West Ham

• Nicolas Jackson was on target with two goals against West Ham on Sunday
• The Ivory Coast international now has 13 goals and five assists in the Premier League
• His stats compare decently to Didier Drogba’s numbers in his first season at Chelsea

Nicolas Jackson continued to prove the doubters wrong with two goals for Chelsea against West Ham on Sunday, May 5.

The 22-year-old, signed by Mauricio Pochettino for £32m, has been the subject of intense scrutiny from fans in his debut season in the Premier League.

This was not the case when he first arrived, as some optimistic Chelsea fans likened him to the legendary Didier Drogba.

The comparisons were warranted since Jackson was a young Ivorian striker joining a Chelsea team that is in a transitional period under a new manager.

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Prior to the West Ham game on Sunday, Jackson’s stats were average at best, as he had 10 Premier League goals, according to Sky Sports.

A run of one goal in his last eight games across all competitions for Jackson had started to reignite more criticism towards the striker, but he shut it down with a masterful performance against the Hammers.

Jackson matches Drogba’s tally

As reported by EuroSport, the young striker scored Chelsea’s fourth and fifth goals, after Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke put the Blues in the driving seat in the London derby.

With his brace, Jackson took his overall tally for the season to 16 goals across all competitions, which is the same number of goals Drogba scored in his debut season with the Blues in 2004.

Drogba made 40 appearances in his debut season for Chelsea, scoring 10 goals in the Premier League, five in the Champions League and a single goal in the League Cup final.

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Jackson, who has more Premier League goals in his debut season for Chelsea, still has the chance to surpass his 16-goal haul, as his side has three games of the season remaining.

What next for Chelsea?

Chelsea have leapfrogged Manchester United, albeit temporarily, to seventh place.

European qualification is out of the Blues’ hands, but they will hope to keep up their recent resurgence with a win in their next game, an away trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, May 11.

Four days later, Mauricio Pochettino’s side will travel to Brighton before their final game of the season against Bournemouth on Sunday, May 19.

Kudus’ unique record

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Mohammed Kudus’ milestone in the Premier League despite West Ham’s defeat to Chelsea.

The Ghana international became the first player in the 2023/24 campaign to make 13 successful take-ons in a Premier League game.

Kudus equalled Eden Hazard's most take-ons in a game with his 13 successful dribbles, according to Squawka.