Watch Timo Werner end Chelsea goal drought with bundled effort against Newcastle after nervous wait for VAR
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.
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.
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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.
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