Christian Pulisic hopes late Chelsea winner proves he can ‘make a difference’ for Thomas Tuchel

Prior to his late winner on Sunday the American had scored only once in the Premier League since 2 January and has clocked up only two 90-minute outings in the top flight since then

Manasi Pathak
Monday 25 April 2022 09:08 BST
Comments
(Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic said he was eager to prove his desire to play more often and was happy to score a “massive goal” after coming off the bench in Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League win over West Ham United.

Pulisic’s 90th-minute winner at Stamford Bridge made up for his team mate Jorginho’s missed penalty as Chelsea remained third in the league on 65 points, five points above fourth-placed Arsenal, who have played a game more.

Pulisic’s playing time has been limited in recent weeks, with the American last starting in their 3-1 defeat at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on April 6.

“It was a massive goal. We had so much pressure on them for most of the game but we couldn’t get that breakthrough, so I am happy I was able to help out,” said Pulisic, who replaced Timo Werner in the 76th minute.

“I needed to come in and make a difference, prove I want to be playing and I am happy I did that.”

It was Pulisic’s first goal since he scored in their Champions League last-16 match at Lille on March 16.

“I always want to be on the pitch, to help my team and I am glad I got the opportunity today,” he added. “We played a good match and we got our deserved goal in the end.”

Chelsea next travel to face Manchester United in the league on Thursday.

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in