TIMO WERNER finally ended his Chelsea goal drought as the striker put the Blues in cruise control against Newcastle.
But the German was left with a nervy wait after VAR took a close look to see if Olivier Giroud committed a handball in the build-up.
Timo Werner bundled the ball home at the back postCredit: AFP or llicensors AFP or Licensors
After the game, Werner told the BBC: “We started the season well, scoring goals and making assists but then I had a long period without scoring.
“At the end of the day, you have to keep pushing because it’s a team sport and we want to win. It doesn’t matter if I score or someone else as long as we win.
“Tuchel has helped me, having someone can scream at me in German – he’s a really good guy – has a good idea of the football we want to play and when we have more and more training sessions with him we will get better and better.
“A few weeks ago, we were somewhere and nowhere and we were a lot of points behind fourth place, we want to keep going.
“There’s only four points to second place and lots have said we won’t reach the top four at the end of the season but here we are. We are in good shape, we’re back on track.”
Werner, 24, hadn’t scored a Premier League goal since November 7 in a 4-1 win over Sheffield United.
It was a drought that stretched to 14 league matches, having scored just once in his last 20 games in all competitions – in a 4-0 victory over Morecambe.
But his long-awaited moment finally arrived in the 39th minute.
A corner from Mason Mount flicked off the head of Ciaran Clark and into the path of Werner who was unmarked at the back post.
He was left with the simplest of finishes despite Karl Darlow’s best attempts to keep the ball out.
The relief on his face was plain to see as he was mobbed by his team-mates.
But then came an agonizing wait as VAR officials wanted to determine whether the corner had clipped Giroud’s arm.
As he continued his wait, even Werner found the funny side as he stood near the centre-circle with a grin on his face.
The goal was given and the forward could celebrate his fifth league goal of the campaign.
BET OF THE DAY: GET THE BEST FOOTBALL PRICES ON THE MARKET WITH OUR EXPERT ADVICE
It was the striker’s first league goal since November 7Credit: Andy Hooper-The Daily Mail
Werner showed glimpses throughout the first half of the player Chelsea paid RB Leipzig £47.5million for in the summer.
He played a key role in Giroud’s opener, showing his pace by getting to the byline before his cross was pushed into the path of his French team-mate.
Boss Thomas Tuchel will be hoping Werner’s strike will open the floodgates for more in their quest for a top four finish.
⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
Blues move into top four after victory against Newcastle
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
