Chelsea goalscorer Malo Gusto set his sights on another top-four finish in the Premier League after he opened his account for the club in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
The full-back, who had never scored in his senior career, chose a fine time discover where the net is, appearing inside the box early in the second half to head in Alejandro Garnacho’s cross after the Blues had frustrated home fans with a dour first 45 minutes.
Enzo Maresca’s players were booed off at the break, such was the lack of penetration from a team whose game plan appeared to be to try to pass Wolves to death in midfield.
If the floodgates did not exactly open after Gusto’s goal, Chelsea quickly racked up a score that better reflected their dominance of managerless Wolves, who are eight points adrift of safety.
Estevao Willian came off the bench and set up Joao Pedro to make it two, then Garnacho got his second assist with a powerful run and cross for Pedro Neto.
The win though owed much to Gusto’s breakthrough at last – almost 160 games into his senior club career.
“It’s been a long time since I came here and this is only the beginning,” he told Chelsea’s club website. “I’m very proud. I’ve been waiting for this one. I’m very happy.
“It was a big win. The performance was really important for us before the international break, and we are here for the top four, that is our objective. We will keep going and keep fighting.
“For my goal it was our plan to bring players into the box. It was the key (to winning) and we showed that.”
Despite a laboured first-half display, Chelsea finished Saturday as the division’s top scorers and re-established their credentials near the top with a fourth league win in five.
Qualification for the Champions League at the end of last season put the team a year ahead of schedule, according to Maresca, and his side appear to be making progress again this term.
“In the first half we struggled a lot to find space between the lines, but in the second half we were much better,” said Gusto. “The manager said at half-time to be patient, the chance will arrive, and we found our players much easier, and I think that’s how we scored the first goal.
“We have to keep building something between us as a group.”
Wolves look set to appoint Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards as permanent successor to Vitor Pereira meaning the loss in west London is likely to have been the only match in charger for caretaker James Collins, who had stepped up from the under-23 team.
“I felt we got a foothold in the game, we were structured and hard to beat,” he said. “What we didn’t do in the first half was be clinical in our counter attacks.
“The first goal changes things, we became more open and were better with the ball. But the back door was open.”
