The German forward won his club three points with a first-half goal against West Ham on Saturday and also ended his 14-game goal drought for club and country.
Timo Werner had last scored in February and a goal against their London neighbours might just do his confidence a world of good before the Blues depart for Madrid in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first-leg clash with Zinedine Zidane’s side.
In a bumper top-four clash against the Hammers, Chelsea knew they needed a win to stay in the Champions League race. And it was the perfect stage for a harshly criticized expensive forward to shine; Werner changed the fortune for his side with a 43rd-minute goal which was more than enough for Thomas Tuchel’s boys to finish the tie.
The former RB Leipzig striker appeared to be in relief after and the match and said:
I’m just very happy that we won this game. It’s a big win for us in the race for the top four and it’s the best feeling after winning a game to score a goal. It was really important for me and for the whole team. It’s great to be back on the scoresheet.
In a move started by Werner himself, the ball traveled from Christian Pulisic to Ben Chilwell who picked out the German with a low cross, – the 25-year-old made no mistake, netting his 11th goal across all competitions in his first season for the Blues.
“The second chance I have to score, but I have to come back slowly. One goal is enough. Two goals might be too much for the beginning!”
joked Werner.
But the forward would prefer to forget about the 14-game drought he suffered, with his previous strike coming against the Magpies in February, which in return ended another streak of goalless runs since November.
However, this time though, a much-needed confidence-boosting goal in a potential season deciding fixture has lifted Werner’s morale and Tuchel would be delighted to see his number nine poised ahead of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.