Cole Palmer could not hide his fury with Nicolas Jackson during Chelsea’s victory over Fluminense in the Club World Cup.
The Blues secured a 2-0 win over their Brazilian opponents in New Jersey on Tuesday night with Joao Pedro scoring two superb goals on what was his full debut for the club.
The victory booked their place in the final of the competition where Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain await.
Pedro, who joined Chelsea for £60million from Brighton last week, came off the bench in the quarter-final victory over Palmeiras last weekend.
With Liam Delap suspended, the Brazil international was preferred to Jackson who was named among the substitutes in East Rutherford.
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Jackson entered the fray after an hour to replace Pedro and passed up a huge opportunity to increase his side’s lead.
With 80 minutes on the clock, the Senegal international did well to win back possession high up the pitch before bursting into the box and shooting for goal with a first time effort he fired into the side netting.
Palmer had made a run into the box and was completely unmarked 12 yards out from goal, waiting for the pass which never came.
Palmer then booted the post in frustration, shouting repeatedly at Jackson who held his arm up apologetically.
While Jackson has been Chelsea’s sole option up top for the last two seasons, there is now huge competition up front following the arrivals of Delap and Pedro from Ipswich and Brighton respectively.
The former Villarreal star has endured a difficult period for his club. He missed the end of the Premier League season as the result of a red card picked up against Newcastle in May – a ban which also rules him out of the opening game of the 2025-26 season against Crystal Palace.
The 24-year-old was also needlessly sent off in the group phase of the Club World Cup against Flamengo.
Assessing his performance on Tuesday night, former Wales and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale suggested Jackson’s decision not to pass to Palmer showed the striker is feeling the pressure to keep up with his new teammates.
‘That is sometimes what competition does, it puts pressure on you,’ Bale told DAZN. ‘I think if Joao doesn’t score, maybe he doesn’t feel that pressure and maybe he would probably play a simple pass to Cole Palmer.
‘But under pressure, it changes your decision and sometimes it affects your performance. I’m sure a lot of strikers have been in that position before but I think he chose the wrong option there.’