You have to be clever and cunning to get away with football's 'dark arts'. It's not only a matter of being snide, but deceitful and dastardly like a cartoon villain. Think about Jose Mourinho in Tottenham's Amazon Prime documentary telling his new players they must behave like 'intelligent c*nts'.
Well, there was nothing intelligent about Nicolas Jackson's elbow square to the jaw of poor Sven Botman during Chelsea's trip to Newcastle on Sunday, one which ended with his dismissal and the Blues losing 2-0 in what was effectively a six-pointer in the race to secure Champions League qualification. There was no attempt to hide Jackson's contempt, staring down the defender long before the high ball from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had returned to Earth, before planting his pointed forearm straight into the Dutchman's unsuspecting face. And he would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for that meddling VAR.
The knives were quickly out for Jackson, which was a fair reaction and reflection having acted so daftly rather than deftly in Chelsea's biggest game of the season so far. Defeat at St James' Park has left them just about in the Premier League's top five, only leading sixth-place Aston Villa on goal difference with two matches remaining. The club are desperate to secure a lucrative return to the Champions League, but blame cannot be solely or directly pointed at Jackson if they fall short now - this is a downfall of Chelsea's own making.
