Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has warned Nicolas Jackson that his red card at Newcastle United must serve as a big learning curve for the striker.

The Blues were 1-0 down and struggling to get a foothold in a hugely significant contest at St James’ Park when Jackson plunged a forearm into the face of Sven Botman. Referee John Brooks initially showed the Senegalese international a yellow card but was instructed by the VAR to consult with the monitor and eventually opted to send Jackson off.

Jackson’s ill-discipline attracted significant criticism from fans and pundits alike, and Maresca, who did not acknowledge the striker as he trudged down the tunnel, warned that changes must be made soon.

“No doubt, 100%, Nico has to learn,” Maresca said post-match. “He will be suspended for the rest of the season now and he has to learn for the future.”

Jackson, who received a straight red card for the first time since March 2022, will miss Chelsea’s final two games of the Premier League season as they aim to secure a top-five finish and play in next season’s Champions League. Sunday’s defeat could’ve proven costly, but Nottingham Forest’s subsequent 2-2 draw with Leicester meant the Blues ended the weekend in fifth.

“This season is finished for him and he’s our No 9, our striker. We will need to find a different solution for the last two games. We have to avoid these kind of things because we need all our squad available,” Maresca, who was also without Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu on Sunday, added.

Chelsea arguably performed better with ten men than they did with 11 on Tyneside, but the Italian insisted that Jackson’s dismissal was influential in deciding the outcome. Bruno Guimaraes sealed Newcastle’s nervy victory with a deflected strike from distance late on.

“For sure the red card affected the game,” he said. “Against this team, in this stadium, it’s already complicated and if you give them one extra player it’s difficult but overall I think, especially in the second half, we created big chances even with ten players when it’s not easy.

“If the referee decides a red card, it’s a red card, but in some different decisions in this stadium, sometimes it’s the noise [which] decides if it’s a foul or not.”

The Blues are level on points with Aston Villa in fifth and a point ahead of seventh-place Forest. The final day tussle at the City Ground will undoubtedly prove decisive in what’s been a hotly competitive race for Champions League football.