Jackson & Fernandez's mentality showcases Chelsea's serious Champions League bid | OneFootball

Nicolas Jackson played a pivotal part in Chelsea claiming all three points against Leicester City in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old netted his seventh league goal of the season after opening the scoring at the King Power Stadium with an excellent finish past Mads Hermansen to punish Wout Faes' failure to clear his lines, which saw Jackson with the help of Enzo Fernandez pounce on the danger.

Fernandez has been finding his form in recent weeks across the Conference League, Premier League and with Argentina on international duty. The midfielder netted his first goal for Chelsea in the 75th minute in Saturday's lunchtime kick off as he headed home from close range.

Chelsea's 2-1 victory against Enzo Maresca's former side was key for many reasons. They face a newly-promoted side for the first time this season and made no mistake of ensuring they took maximum points. It has put them in control in the top four race and three points clear of Arsenal in fourth place ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest.

Jackson and Chelsea are continuing to prove doubters wrong. / IMAGO / Action Plus

But it's the start of a busy run which could define Chelsea's positional finish this season. Between now and the end of the year, the Blues have a real opportunity to make a statement and claim some huge points against sides like Southampton, Everton, Brentford Fulham and Ipswich Town, who they are expected to all beat.

Maresca's mentality has not budged despite the positive form. The 44-year-old is taking it game by game, and that mindset is being translated and carried by the whole of the Chelsea squad.

Speaking with TNT Sports at a very wet King Power Stadium, Jackson and Fernandez showed how serious and focused they are this season to achieve their objectives.

Jackson said: "The most important thing is we won the game and got the three points. We know the months of November and December there are a lot of games, so we try to recover and prepare for the next ones coming.

"I'm just working every game and trying to score to help the team always. We don’t look at the teams in front of us. We try to win every game and we'll see how it goes."

Fernandez added: "I'm really happy for the team and for the win, most importantly. I am very happy for Nico. We keep going, keep working and keep pushing."

Chelsea have FC Heidenheim in the Conference League before their next Premier League match. Aston Villa, who are a Champions League challenger, await in the league next time out and another victory will fuel the confidence and positivity.