Chelsea boss Graham Potter thinks Kai Havertz's stunning winning strike in the 2-1 victory away at RB Salzburg can help build his confidence.
The Blues qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League by ending the Austrian outfit’s 40-game unbeaten run at the Red Bull Arena.
Havertz scored his first Chelsea goal from outside the box in the 64th minute and Potter was full of praise for his Germany international.
“His quality is there; he’s an incredibly talented player," Potter said. "He’s been nearly there and obviously, scoring a goal like that is bound to help.
"I wouldn’t be able to score a goal like that to be fair, I can only imagine! It’s a fantastic strike and an indication of the quality he has. So I’m really pleased for him.”
It follows a run of games where pressure began to build on Havertz after he was substituted at half-time away at Aston Villa, before copping criticism for his lack of goal threat in the 0-0 draw against Brentford.
Meanwhile, Potter explained his tactical choices as he opted to use both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic as wing-backs in Salzburg.
“The idea, because of how Red Bull defend, they often give you the opposite space," Potter added. "So if you can get the ball out to someone good in one-vs-one situations, you can have an advantage potential.
"But also, it makes them stretch across the pitch and open up games in their very organised line. It worked quite well today and I’m pleased for the boys.”
The reward for qualification on matchday five is a dead-rubber match next week at home to Dinamo Zagreb.
With qualification secured, Potter can rest players despite being in a busy period of fixtures before the World Cup.
“We want to win every game we play, that is the mentality we have to have,” he said.
"But clearly, we have a game at the weekend and another game the weekend after, so maybe we can rotate a little bit. But we will try our best.”
