African star of the weekend: The defiant Senegalese!

African stars are not only shining on the continent but all over the world too, and one individual rose as a giant among them with his performance on the weekend.  

Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson proved many of his doubters wrong in the Blues' 5-0 thrashing of London rivals West Ham United on Sunday. The encounter saw the forward bag two goals and an assist as he most likely be looked to alter the perception some have of him. 

Read: New African giants' boss: I have been following Bafana

The 22-year-old has been under immense scrutiny this season, with many criticising his apparent inability to be clinical in front of goal. The reproval from those in the footballing world stemmed from statistics suggesting that the attacker has significantly been underperforming on the scoring front as he has an xG (expected goals) ratio of 0.61 per 90 minutes, while his actual ratio of goals is 0.46 per 90, according to FBref. 

It did, however, seem to be an entirely different story for the Senegalese against the Hammers, with his goals helping to relieve the scoring burdens Mauricio Pochettino's side have endured throughout the campaign. 

His first goal of the day, for instance, came after Noni Madueke was put in behind the defence and was one-on-one with just Alphonse Areola in front of him and Jackson in support alongside him. Instead of opting to take a shot, the 22-year-old instead slid the ball through to his teammate to cushion the ball home.

This is quite contrary to what viewers witnessed during Chelsea's 6-0 thrashing of Everton, when the side's forwards showed selfishness and immaturity, arguing over who should take a penalty they had been awarded. Madueke's assist for Jackson, however, shows that the Blues seem to be improving in that regard. The decision to pass him the ball showed that the Englishman understood his teammate was in a better position to score and took the more mature, unselfish option. 

Jackson then scored again in the 80th minute. Moises Caicedo won the ball in his team's own half and released the striker, who made a well-timed run in behind the defence. He was one-on-one with Areola, and given the big chances he has previously missed during the campaign, some would have expected him to waste the opportunity, but he did not oblige, keeping his cool and beating the goalkeeper at his near post. 

The forward is just 22 years of age but will not have that much time to improve given that he plays for Chelsea, where expectations and pressure are high, but if he is able to continue converting his chances, he will soon be a real force to be reckoned with. 

When it comes to his all-round game, the Senegalese should be praised. Contrary to Erling Haaland, who has been criticised for his inability to be effective outside of the penalty box, even being compared to an EFL League Two striker by Roy Keane, Jackson showcased his ability to be a threat from anywhere on the pitch. 

According to Breaking the Lines, the striker accumulated 49 touches, an assist, four key passes, three successful dribbles and won seven duels, which serves as evidence that the player has everything required to become a complete striker. 

What he also has is the support of former top forwards with the legendary Didier Drogba taking to X last month to tell the 22-year-old to "keep his head high up" and to "never stop working hard" because his efforts, according to the Ivorian, will eventually pay off. Jackson's compatriot Demba Ba also vouched for the Blues' forward, ridiculing those who have previously doubted him. 

"Nicolas Jackson was a doubt in people's mind after missing couple chances in a game few weeks ago. All of a sudden he became a great footballer/goalscorer," the former Newcastle United attacker wrote. 

"Keep doing your thing and shining, my little brother." 

The words of those two former strikers who have achieved so much in the top flight of football should always be taken into consideration because they probably know a thing or two about playing up front for a big team like Chelsea! 

Read: Man Utd legend lashes out at 'spoiled brat' Haaland 

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