Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was delighted with the performance of Timo Werner during the club’s 3-2 comeback win over Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round.
The Blues started the Cup tie in the worst possible fashion with Reece Burke opening the scoring for Luton within the second minute.
Saul Niguez made it level in the 27th minute from a Werner assist, but Harry Cornick put the Hatters ahead before the half-time interval.
The Championship outfit showed good defensive resolve following the break, but they eventually conceded the equaliser in the 68th minute.
Werner got on the right end of Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s pass before poking the ball into the far corner beyond the onrushing goalkeeper Harry Isted.
12 minutes from time, Werner capped his fantastic display with another assist. He put the ball on the plate for Romelu Lukaku to tap home.
The German made his first start since mid-December. He was lively on the pitch, contributing to all three goals scored by the Blues. He made three key passes.
Speaking after the game, Tuchel was delighted with Werner’s showing and acknowledged that he ‘played very well’. He also gave a special mention to Lukaku.
He told Chelseafc.com: “Timo played very well, I’m happy for that, and Romelu got his goal. That’s why we left them on the pitch.”
“At the moment this is the most important match for them, even if they maybe think they should have played this match or that match.
“We want them to play with full focus and take this seriously because this is where you grow your confidence.”
Both Werner and Lukaku have been out of contention for a starting role in the Premier League, and yesterday’s performance should boost their confidence.
However, they may not necessarily be reinstated into the starting XI for the league games with Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic having excelled in recent weeks.
Hakim Ziyech is out injured at the moment. This could see more minutes for Mason Mount, who had two golden scoring chances in the League Cup final.
Chelsea face Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. The Clarets have proved a difficult side to score against lately with their low defensive block.
The reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. The Blues dominated the proceedings, but the Clarets salvaged a point with a late Matej Vydra equaliser.
