The German forward opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half of the third-round tie against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup.
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Timo Werner was understandably a satisfied man after getting his name on the score sheet during the thrilling shoot-out victory over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. The German forward opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half of the third-round tie against Villa. The Blues eventually triumphed in a penalty shoot-out after the game finished 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes. Werner netted his first goal of the season with a fine header from Reece James’ cross and he is also hot on the heels of his assist for Antonio Rudiger in Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur. After the match, the German also went on to explain how difficult it is to play Villa.
“It’s good to be back on the score sheet, good to score at Stamford Bridge and I’m happy that I’m back on the pitch,” Werner was quoted as saying by the club’s website. “I think that the last few weeks were not very easy for me, but every goal, every assist brings me back on track, so it was good for me today and also for the team.”
Timo Werner also spoke about the importance of scoring the team’s first goal on the night despite Chelsea failing to take advantage of it and find a winner in regulation time. “I think both teams gave everything. Aston Villa were a very tough opponent and they showed why they are always very hard to play against,” he added.
“I think in the second half we were lucky to score an early goal, it gave us a little bit of a push, but 10 or 15 minutes after the goal we lost a bit of control when we conceded. After that we wanted to finish the game in 90 minutes, it was important. In the end it didn’t happen, but good penalties at the end saved us.”
James’ nerveless strike into the top corner sealed the 4-3 victory on penalties, after Ashley Young and Ben Chilwell had both hit the crossbar. However, Kepa Arrizabalaga again impressed in a shoot-out by saving the kick from Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba.
Werner heaped praise on Kepa, with the goalkeeper not only helping the team in the Carabao Cup but also stopped two penalties when the Blues beat Villarreal to lift the UEFA Super Cup. “Kepa is unbelievable in penalty shoot-outs. This season already he has saved us two opportunities to win titles. He’s a great guy and a great goalkeeper,” he added.
Meanwhile, manager Thomas Tuchel was all praise for striker Timo Werner, who scored the crucial opening goal on the night. “We brought him into a situation where he can score, this is what we want, and then it’s on him to score. That’s why he is here. It’s the best feeling for a striker to score,” he added.
Speaking about goalkeeper Kepa, Tuchel said, “Kepa is very strong at penalties. He has good experiences in shoot-outs so we focused on that, and tried our best. I’m happy the players kept their cool. It’s a nice win and I’m happy because it was a tough match, a hard cup fight, and it’s a good feeling to win.”
