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Head coach Graham Potter acknowledges his relief after Chelsea record a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Head coach Graham Potter has acknowledged that his Chelsea side were “fantastic” as they progressed through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea went into Tuesday’s fixture at Stamford Bridge trailing 1-0 on aggregate and aware that defeat would likely mean being without Champions League football for 2023-24.
However, the West Londoners produced a united performance at their West London home as goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz earned the Blues a deserved comeback win.
Sterling rifled into the roof of the net from 12 yards towards the end of the first half, before Havertz coolly converted a penalty at the second time of asking after his first attempt had struck the post.
While Havertz struggled to hide his frustration, VAR ruled that the Dortmund player who cleared the ball after the miss had encroached, leading to the forward getting a second opportunity.
Like they did on Saturday against Leeds United, Chelsea came through some nervy moments during the final half-hour, but there was a togetherness about how the Premier League giants got over the line.
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Speaking after the game, Potter admitted that it had been a “tense” evening”, but felt that his team were full value for a triumph that he will hope will lead to a change of fortunes in the long term.
The Englishman told BT Sport: “There is a lot of emotion in the end. It was tense in the end but the boys played fantastic. I am delighted for them to get the win and great for everyone here.
“I knew they had encroached. It was him or Reece [James]. Sometimes they have to feel it on the pitch. Obviously we have confidence in Kai. I wasn’t watching it but delighted when I heard the roar. Taking penalties is not for me, so I am in awe of anybody [who does].
“There was a fantastic feeling in the dressing room. We have been through a tough period and this competition means a lot for us. We wanted to progress and get into the last eight and it sets us up for the next few weeks.
“We have to recover and prepare for Saturday when we play Leicester. It is great for the boys, two clean sheets after a tough period. You get that in life and it is about how you respond and the players have been fantastic.”
Chelsea, who travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City on Saturday, must wait over a week to discover their opponents in the last eight with the last 16 not reaching a conclusion until March 15.
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