sport news The curious case of hat-trick hero Nicolas Jackson... who still has his ... trends now

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Not many strikers bang in a hat-trick in a Premier League match, away from home, against their club’s most bitter rivals, yet still have doubts surrounding them at the final whistle.

He may have walked away with the match ball but Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson also walked off with his detractors still unconvinced following his treble at Tottenham on Monday night. In Mail Sport’s latest It’s All Kicking Off podcast episode, it was described by Ian Ladyman as the worst hat-trick he has seen!

Not that criticism will eat away at Jackson. Sources at Chelsea say the 22-year-old exudes confidence. The striker is relaxed, likeable, humble and approachable according to those inside Cobham.

It is the self-assurance which Jackson possesses that has struck many. It creates the impression he has been at Chelsea far longer than he has. But he has rarely shown such assurance in front of goal — as showcased by him ballooning the ball over the bar when he should have scored against Spurs, or nearly making a pig ear’s of the third goal, stumbling, as if unsure what to do, before rounding goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who looked as baffled as Jackson.

His confidence contrasts with the shy and quieter personality of Mykhailo Mudryk, for example, whose demeanour is what you would expect from a new arrival. But it is the kind of self-belief that meant Senegal striker Jackson had no qualms about shushing a Chelsea supporter who demanded more from him against Brentford, even though he was far from at his best that day.

The hope at Chelsea is his match-winning hat-trick at Tottenham —his first at senior level — will be a springboard for more.