Chelsea picked up their first points of the Premier League season with a convincing 6-2 win over Wolves at Molineux Stadium on Sunday.
The victory was highlighted by a remarkable 14th-minute hat-trick from Noni Madueke, who praised teammate Cole Palmer for his exceptional passing skills.
However, the celebrations were marred by a social media row between Nicolas Jackson and former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.
Jackson, who scored the opener (Chelsea's fastest Premier League goal since 2007) and assisted Cole Palmer for the second, took to Instagram to respond to Mikel's criticism of his performance in the opening game against Manchester City.
Mikel had cast doubt on Jackson’s suitability for Chelsea, stating: “You need a striker who knows how to hit the ball in the back of the net, and that’s what we don’t have,” he said on Bein Sports. “I know I talk about him a lot, and sometimes it seems like I’m disrespecting him. I’m not disrespecting him. I think at Chelsea Football Club we need a top-class striker who can score goals.”
Jackson responded by tagging Mike in an Instagram story: “Shut your mouth, don’t talk nonsense, we’re killing each other for Africa.”
Jackson, who scored 17 goals in 44 appearances for Chelsea last season, will be looking to continue his impressive form.
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Confidence booster
Meanwhile, Madueke's hat-trick and Jackson's solid display against Wolves have boosted Chelsea's confidence ahead of their Europa Conference League qualifier against Servette on Thursday.
Madueke credited Palmer for his assist, saying: “The first one was a bit of luck. The second one was all Cole Palmer, two brilliant passes… I'm made up for the hat-trick, but more so because we won the game.”
He praised Palmer's ability to play passes at the right moment, adding: “It's unbelievable. He's cold and I'm fire, so we combine well.”
While Chelsea fans are united in celebrating their impressive 6-2 win over Wolves, they are divided over the controversy surrounding John Mikel Obi's criticism of Nicolas Jackson.
Some fans believe the former Nigeria captain has gone too far with his comments, while others believe the Senegalese striker needs to silence his critics with more goals.
Other games
Meanwhile, two more Premier League games were decided on Sunday.
Liverpool continued their fine start to the season with a 2-0 win over Brentford at Anfield, consolidating their position among the top contenders.
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In another game, Bournemouth and Newcastle United drew 1-1, leaving both teams looking to improve in their upcoming encounters.