Chelsea’s Jackson Must Learn from Red Card, Maresca Says 

Chelsea's Senegalese striker #15 Nicolas Jackson reacts as he leaves the pitch after receiving a red card following a tackle on Newcastle United's Dutch defender #04 Sven Botman during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, northeast England on May 11, 2025. (AFP) 
Chelsea's Senegalese striker #15 Nicolas Jackson reacts as he leaves the pitch after receiving a red card following a tackle on Newcastle United's Dutch defender #04 Sven Botman during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, northeast England on May 11, 2025. (AFP) 
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Chelsea’s Jackson Must Learn from Red Card, Maresca Says 

Chelsea's Senegalese striker #15 Nicolas Jackson reacts as he leaves the pitch after receiving a red card following a tackle on Newcastle United's Dutch defender #04 Sven Botman during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, northeast England on May 11, 2025. (AFP) 
Chelsea's Senegalese striker #15 Nicolas Jackson reacts as he leaves the pitch after receiving a red card following a tackle on Newcastle United's Dutch defender #04 Sven Botman during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, northeast England on May 11, 2025. (AFP) 

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said forward Nicolas Jackson must learn from his mistakes after his red card in Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United left the London side without a striker to lead the line for the final two games of the season.

The 23-year-old was sent off in the 36th minute, following a VAR review, for serious foul play and will miss Chelsea's home game against Manchester United on Friday and the trip to Nottingham Forest on May 25.

"I didn't speak to Nico, it's not the moment. We will speak in the next day. No doubt he has to learn from it, especially at this stage of the season," Maresca told reporters.

"You have to avoid this kind of thing. You need all your squad available. It happened, and he will be out. Hopefully he can learn for the future."

With Christopher Nkunku still sidelined with injury and Marc Guiu not yet fully fit, Maresca has a shortage of attacking options for the run-in.

"Jackson is our nine, the other one is Marc Guiu, who has been injured for three months and is close to being back," added Maresca. "We need to find a different solution."

Chelsea are fifth, which would be good enough to qualify for next season's Champions League, but with Aston Villa below them only on goal difference and Nottingham Forest just a point behind, Maresca is feeling the heat.

"My feeling is you need to win both games (to qualify for the Champions League)," he said of their final two fixtures.



Just Frustration: Piastri Explains Radio Cursing at Alpine

Second-placed McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia poses on the podium with his trophy after the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, 29 June 2025. (EPA)
Second-placed McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia poses on the podium with his trophy after the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, 29 June 2025. (EPA)
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Just Frustration: Piastri Explains Radio Cursing at Alpine

Second-placed McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia poses on the podium with his trophy after the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, 29 June 2025. (EPA)
Second-placed McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia poses on the podium with his trophy after the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, 29 June 2025. (EPA)

McLaren's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri said cursing at former employers Alpine over the radio at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix was just a humorous way of expressing his frustration.

The Australian made a comment after having to go off track to avoid Renault-owned Alpine's Argentine driver Franco Colapinto.

"Alpine still managed to find a way to (expletive) me over all these years later, huh?," he told race engineer Tom Stallard in an exchange not broadcast on television at the time.

Piastri told Reuters at a McLaren fan event in London's Trafalgar Square on Wednesday that his swearing had just been spur of the moment.

"It was just kind of a frustrating coincidence. My qualifying got hampered by an Alpine. I got impeded in the race by both the Alpines. So, it was kind of just a build-up of a few things," he said. "And it was more out of frustration.

"I still have a lot of friends at Alpine. A lot of people that I respect a lot.

"It was just kind of an ironic coincidence that the things that hampered me a bit in the weekend were all with Alpine. But, yeah -- more just me trying to express my humor and frustration in the race."

Piastri joined McLaren after being named by Alpine as their driver for 2023, only for the Australian to very publicly reject the seat with a statement that has become part of Formula One lore.

Then Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer questioned the driver's integrity, and threatened legal action, but McLaren won easily when the matter went to the contract recognition board.

Alpine are now last in the championship, and are still going through turmoil, while McLaren won the constructors' title last year and are runaway favorites again.