Chelsea star Joao Pedro explains why he needed to score against Tottenham as clear promise made

Joao Pedro has insisted he still needs to improve after breaking a nine-match goalless streak during Saturday's 1-0 triumph over Tottenham.

Pedro, who joined Stamford Bridge in the summer, kicked off his Premier League career with two goals in his first three matches but hadn't scored since August until his 34th-minute decider in north London.

The Brazilian forward, who was denied three times by Spurs' keeper Guglielmo Vicario, expressed gratitude to Moises Caicedo for winning the ball from Micky van de Ven and setting him up to score for Chelsea. Caicedo later received high praise from manager Enzo Maresca, who compared him to Manchester City's Rodri as one of the world's top defensive midfielders.

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Echoing his manager's sentiments, Pedro acknowledged the significance of his goal during a period marred by unspecified fitness issues that have hampered his training. "Moses, everyone knows is a top, top player," said Pedro.

"It is a pleasure to play with him and when he pass to me on the pitch, in the half-time I said I need to invite you to dinner, so yeah I just want to say thank you to him. Thanks to the team for the support. I scored but I still need to improve. I had a lot of chances, but we won the game.

"I think I needed this goal after a long time I don't score for Chelsea and I think the team expect (goals) from me, so I just want to say thank you to Moses, thank you to the team and now we need to enjoy this victory."

Chelsea's fifth consecutive victory at Tottenham helped them recover from a surprising 2-1 home loss to Sunderland on October 25. The result helped rebuild momentum for Maresca's gifted yet inexperienced squad before a midweek journey to Qarabag in the Champions League and Saturday's encounter with bottom-placed Wolves.

Pedro added: "I think it was a big game, a derby and we know they are a good team. We knew we had to do 100 per cent to win this kind of game and we did. We won the game and now we need to look forward."

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank faces significant problems to address in attack after they posted an XG (expected goals) total of 0.05 – the lowest figure the club has managed since statistics began in the 2012-13 campaign. What won't assist Frank's situation is the probable unavailability of Lucas Bergvall for Tuesday's clash with FC Copenhagen after he was withdrawn with suspected concussion during the early stages of the defeat to Chelsea.

"That was a concussion, so he totally couldn't stay on and I think the medical team did a good job in that aspect," the Dane explained. "And even if he wanted to stay on, it's the right decision.

"Of course, we would have loved to have him continue. That's why we picked him in the starting XI. Unfortunately, that couldn't happen. So others will step in. Xavi (Simons) knew the game plan."