Danny Welbeck made an immediate impact on his Chelsea debut, scoring the opener in a 2-0 League Cup triumph against Luton. The 35-year-old forward was all praise for his teammates after the game, insisting that the current squad has the ability to achieve significant success.
Speaking about his performance alongside Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, Welbeck remarked:
It's a huge privilege to play with such talented players. Being on the pitch with them is a real joy. I played as a number nine today, so I tried to stay on the line with the last defenders. When the ball came to me, I was ready to link up with Morgan and Cole. I really enjoyed that and hope to have many more moments like it in the future.
This summer, Chelsea's squad has seen an influx of talent not just in Welbeck, but also with the arrivals of Jordan Henderson and Maxence Lacroix. Meanwhile, promising youngsters Valentin Barco, Geovany Quenda, and Marco Palestra have bolstered the ranks too. The team has been taken over by Xabi Alonso as head coach.
Welbeck is optimistic about Chelsea's bright future:
We can build something special here. Given the level of players in our squad, we have to believe we can achieve something remarkable. We’ll keep working hard every day and strive for the results we need.
Having joined Chelsea from Brighton on August 1st, Welbeck missed the opening Premier League match against Fulham due to injury. However, he returned just in time for the clash with Luton, where he found the back of the net, heading home Malo Gusto's cross early in the second half.
Reflecting on his debut goal, Welbeck expressed his excitement:
It’s fantastic to score in my first game and get off the mark for the club. I’m really pleased about that, but more importantly, we’ve progressed to the next round. This season we need to compete in every tournament.
Chelsea took 26 shots in the match but struggled to penetrate Luton’s defence for long periods. Welbeck attributed their breakthrough to patience:
Playing against a low block is always difficult. You have to keep moving the ball from one flank to the other and look for spaces to exploit. At half-time, we were told to get the ball into the box earlier and to cross more often. That paid off: Malo delivered a great ball, and I was in the right place at the right time.
