Chelsea boss Graham Potter can finally breathe after his team managed to defeat Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge. The aggregate score is 2-1 which means Chelsea will now play in the quarter-finals.
Raheem Sterling scored the opener in the 43rd minute after missing a first attempt from a Chilwell cross, he then scored on his second try after rounding Reus. Kai Havertz then put Chelsea 2-0 up ahead in the 53rd minute by scoring a penalty. He had missed an earlier penalty that was given again due to Dortmund players’ encroachment of the penalty box.
Chelsea lost the first leg of the Round of 16 ties at Signal Iduna Park 1-0 thanks to a Karim Adeyemi goal. Graham Potter was also under massive pressure as he was losing games and the team not putting up enough good performances.
However, in the second leg, Chelsea put up a defensive masterclass with Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly putting up good performances. Cucurella was even given the Man of the Match award.
Borussia Dortmund was on a ten-game winning streak across all competitions and was undefeated this year. The loss came as a shock to them and many of their players even complained about the result.
What does this win mean for Graham Potter?
Potter desperately needed this win as he was under pressure of being sacked after a series of poor performances. A tremendous spending spree by the owners and the addition of so many players meant that Potter was under pressure from the fans for immediate success.
It was the first time his team scored multiple goals since December 27 and also won back-to-back games for the first time this year after winning the previous Premier League game against Leeds United 1-0. They are still 10th in the Premier League and will hope to turn this around soon to grab European football spots.
Speaking about the win after the game Potter said, “Yeah, really pleased. The players were tremendous, the supporters were tremendous. You have to be against a team that is doing so well – 10 games on the bounce, winning. But I think over the two games we deserved to go through. I think we played a good game in Dortmund but we didn’t score, but today we did. It was a special night.”
It was a special night! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ReOL8CIkpF
— Talk Chelsea (@talkchelsea) March 8, 2023
Chelsea and Graham Potter next face Leicester City away in the Premier League on Saturday. He will hope to turn around their season and hope their winning form continues.
