Kai Havertz believes Chelsea can build on their 2-0 victory over Bournemouth and embark on a winning run.
The Blues, who had lost their previous three matches before the World Cup to slip out of the top six, swept Bournemouth aside thanks to early goals from Havertz and Mason Mount.
āI was delighted to score but the main thing was to get the win and thatās huge for us,ā Germany frontman Havertz told the club website.
Back at the Bridge š pic.twitter.com/lmkbvl8KH5
ā Kai Havertz (@kaihavertz29) December 27, 2022
āThe win and the goals will hopefully give us confidence going forward. We lost three before the World Cup break so it was important we got the victory in the first game back, so we are very happy to do this.
āWe have to keep winning and this period coming up is going to be crucial for us.
āWe are going to give our best in the next games to get on a run and this is a fantastic start for us.ā
Havertz was handed the central strikerās role by head coach Graham Potter and grabbed a superb poacherās goal by sliding in to convert Raheem Sterlingās cross.
Your #CheBou āļø! pic.twitter.com/dEWbBHTArU
ā Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 28, 2022
āI know the vision that Raheem has and he likes to play those sort of balls. It was the perfect pass to me, with the right weight on the cross,ā he added.
āI was in the right position and I was very happy to score.
āThe coach gives me the freedom to do whatever I like on the pitch and I like to be expressive on the ball, so itās good.
āI like to play free and to get into the box and heās told me to do that more, so I was happy that it paid off with the goal.
Setting us on our way! ā pic.twitter.com/F7bE1WjNnh
ā Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 27, 2022
āHe gives me a lot of confidence and I really enjoy working under him.ā
Mountās 20-yard curler all but killed Bournemouth off with just 24 minutes on the clock, but manager Gary OāNeil took the positives from a spirited second-half display.
āIf we perform like we did for the second half, especially, we will cause teams problems,ā he said.