Fans spotted holding banners calling Mauricio Pochettino ‘a clown’ at the Cazoo Darts Masters… as under-fire Chelsea boss admits his job is ‘not safe’ after Wolves defeat

Spectators at the Cazoo Darts Masters were seen holding banners calling Mauricio Pochettino ‘a clown’ on Sunday evening.

Stephen Bunting defeated Michael van Gerwen 11-7 to claim his first televised PDC title in Milton Keynes. He hit eight 180s to beat the three-time world champion.

The 38-year-old had booked his place in the final by beating world number 1 Luke Humphries and two-time PDC World Darts Championship winner Peter Wright.

But as they walked to the Marshall Arena’s main stage, several audience members appeared to hold up cards with the words “Poch is a clown” written on them.

It comes amid Chelsea’s dismal form this season, with pressure mounting on the Argentine manager after his side slipped to 11th in the Premier League table.

Pressure is mounting on Chelsea’s manager after his side suffered a 4-2 defeat to Wolves

The west London team have also lost their last two games in the top flight, having suffered a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in late January before being beaten 4-2 by Wolves on Sunday.

Thiago Silva’s wife even appeared to call for Pochettino to be sacked as Chelsea manager after their loss to Wolves, with Bella Silva writing on X (formerly Twitter): ‘It’s time to change. If you wait any longer, it will be too late.”

Fans were heard booing their own players at Stamford Bridge this weekend after Gary O’Neil’s side came back from a goal down after Cole Palmer had put the Blues ahead after 19 minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Home fans at Stamford Bridge were also heard chanting ‘we’re f***ing s***’ and chanting the name of their former owner Roman Abramovich.

Matheus Cunha hit back for the visitors moments later, before Axel Disasi conceded an own goal before half-time. Cunha found the back of the net twice in the second half and scored from the penalty spot to seal his hat-trick, while Thiago Silva scored late on.

Tempers also flared online after the match, with Mykhailo Mudryk challenging an angry Chelsea fan to a head-to-head match for £10,000 in a bizarre altercation on social media.

Pochettino, meanwhile, had stated that his team wanted to right the wrongs of their earlier defeat to Liverpool against Wolves on Sunday.

Yet Chelsea struggled to find the back of the net despite having more ball possession and goal attempts than Wolves.

Pochettino joined Chelsea this summer and lost 11 of the 31 games he managed at the club.

As pressure mounts on the Chelsea boss, he admitted after the match that his side’s performance was below par and that his position is no longer safe.

Stephen Bunting, meanwhile, celebrated after beating Michael van Gerwen to win the tournament

Thiago Silva’s wife even seemed to argue for Pochettino’s dismissal

Chelsea suffered their tenth Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday when they faced Wolves

After the match, Pochettino took responsibility for his side’s shortcomings before claiming ‘no one can be safe’

‘That is the reality at the moment. Myself too. I’m the first one responsible. What we showed was that we are not good enough. We have not managed the situation well and of course no one can be safe.

‘I don’t want to come here and say, “No, I’m the best, and the players are the worst.”

‘We are all responsible. The players have to take responsibility, just like I take responsibility. At the moment we are not consistent with the history of the club. That’s true.

“We have to accept it and we have to be critics, but we can’t give up. We will work hard to change.”