Nicolas Jackson didn't let his non-appearance against Southampton get in the way of supporting his teammates as the Chelsea striker was left unused for the first time in a Premier League match since joining last summer. It didn't show on the scoreline as Enzo Maresca's side ran out comfortable 5-1 winners.
Having scored eight times in 13 heading into the match at St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday night, no Chelsea player had more than Jackson in the league. Cole Palmer overtook him with a late strike on the south coast whilst Christopher Nkunku - Jackson's replacement - also bagged.
It was just the second league goal for Nkunku this season as he has been made to watch on from the bench during Jackson's impressive start. It was also the first start for Nkunku since the opening day defeat to Manchester City.
Chelsea made light work of their opponents even after making seven changes to Sunday's 3-0 victory over Aston Villa and didn't call on Jackson throughout the evening. Instead, he was fully rested along with Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile who both look set to start at Spurs.
Although Maresca's call to leave Jackson out left the forward without a good chance of adding to his tally, it ensured that Chelsea would have him available moving forward. Jackson, like Pedro Neto, is only one yellow card away from a suspension for hitting the five-booking threshold before the 19th game of the season.
Never really at risk of being turned to against Southampton, Jackson had a largely relaxed time, rarely even venturing to warm up. He was still present at full-time in the celebrations in front of the excited away Chelsea fans.
Huddled underneath a long coat, hood up, Jackson joined in the scenes of thanks pitchside. He then took to social media afterwards to reflect his thoughts.
Much like his teammates, Jackson reposted Chelsea's victory message onto his Instagram story. "GET IN THERE!!! [fist and blue circle emojis]" the club wrote.
Jackson will now hope that he can do the same after Sunday's crunch meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. For now, the small act of continuing to be there for his fellow players during their time in the spotlight is evidence of the group's togetherness, something Chelsea will hope serves them well moving forward.
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