Timo Werner ended his two-month goal drought to give Chelsea victory in their clash with Premier League top-four rivals West Ham, but the German was guilty of missing a remarkable chance to make the afternoon more comfortable.
Werner struck for the first time since February 15 when he turned home a pinpoint Ben Chilwell cross just before half-time at London Stadium.
The strike followed good work by the German in the build-up as he held up the ball to bring Christian Pulisic into play before bursting into the box and getting on the end of the Chelsea left-back’s cutback.
Werner was mobbed as he bagged the sixth goal of his maiden Premier League campaign – but his first in seven games since scoring against Newcastle in mid-February.
Somewhat surprisingly considering perceptions of the 25-year-old's wastefulness in front of goal, the strike cemented Werner's place as Chelsea’s most dangerous threat this season as both scorer and provider for the Blues.
But in what some fans cruelly claimed was the resumption of normal service, Werner was guilty of missing a golden chance to double Chelsea’s lead 10 minutes into the second half, as he somehow sent the ball wide with the goal gaping when the ball came back to him after Mason Mount was denied from long range.
Tuchel’s reaction summed up the incident as the German couldn’t believe his countryman had spurned the chance to make the second half far more comfortable for the Blues.
In the end, Chelsea were given a helping hand when West Ham had Fabian Balbuena harshly sent off when he connected with Chilwell during his follow-through when making a clearance inside the last 10 minutes.
Referee Chris Kavanagh gave the Paraguayan a straight red after consulting the pitchside monitor, in a decision which left Hammers boss David Moyes incredulous on the sidelines.
Chelsea closed out the match to cement their spot in fourth place in the league, three points ahead of London rivals West Ham and four clear of Liverpool in sixth, after Jurgen Klopp’s team conceded a late equalizer to draw at Newcastle earlier in the day.
Looking upwards, Chelsea are just one point behind Leicester in third, although the Foxes have a game in hand.
Despite his miss, Werner took the positives of finally returning to the scoresheet, joking afterwards: “I think the second chance I have to score, but I have to come back slowly, one goal is enough, two might be too much for the beginning.”
“The feeling is too short when you wait for so long. It’s the best feeling you have, after a winning game. Really important for me, for the whole team,” he added.
“Callum [Hudson-Odoi] said you’ll score today, Tammy [Abraham] said you’ll score, both said point to me,” the German said, explaining why he indicated towards the bench after his strike.
“I’m happy that I scored the first [goal], the second will go in in the next weeks and months.”
Next up for Chelsea is a Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid in Spain on Tuesday.
Saturday's win gets them back on track after a turbulent week in which they drew with Brighton at home, amid widespread protests at the club's participation in the controversial Super League.
It emerged shortly before that game that Russian owner Roman Abramovich had pulled the plug on the short-lived venture, as Tuchel and his team will hope for calmer times now that the saga seems to be over for the time being.
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