United States men’s national team fans can breath a sigh of relief after Christian Pulisic took advantage of a rare start to score in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Wolves. Rotating after a midweek win over AC Milan in Champions League, Chelsea had more than enough firepower to secure all three points at Stamford Bridge. Graham Potter made seven changes, but chief among them was Pulisic. Potter was rewarded for his faith with Kai Havertz, Armando Broja, and Pulisic hitting the back of the with excellent helpers from Mason Mount who also put in a big performance against Wolves.
The American started only his second game for Chelsea, filling in for Raheem Sterling, and the USMNT winger showed why he deserves more minutes for the Blues. Playing as something between a left winger and wing-back, Pulisic was an energetic force for Chelsea helping to pick apart a Wolves side that is slipping in the Premier League and finishing with and expected goals tally of 0.40 on four shots, three of them on target and a chance created in addition to the goal, before leaving in the 72nd minute.
While Wolves did their best to contain Chelsea, he was among those looking to make things happen right from kickoff. It took quite a stop from Jose Sa to keep him from finding the back of the net in the first half and Pulisic took three of his shots and created his chancel before the break.
It was more of the same for Pulisic in the second half when he got a reward for his work rate by scoring an insurance goal to put the game out of sight. It’s the type of goal that Gregg Berhalter wants for the national team. Making a run from wide, Pulisic played a one two with Mason Mount to score his first Chelsea goal of the season in his tenth appearance. That’s the type of goal that the United States will be looking for on Nov. 21 in Qatar against Wales.
Pulisic will have a hard time getting into the starting lineup on a regular basis but if he can use this match as a platform to shine as Sterling’s backup, Potter will provide more minutes. With Chelsea looking to advance to the knockout stages of Champions League play, Potter will need his entire squad to be at the top of their game because he will need to rotate. Pulisic has struggled to find a role as he’s looked to get minutes for Chelsea so this is a goal that could propel over the rest of the season.
It’s a match that’s a good outcome for Chelsea, Pulisic, and the national team. The next eight days will see Chelsea play three away games against AC Milan, Aston Villa and Brentford so Pulisic will likely be called on again quite soon.
