Chelsea earned qualification to the quarter finals of the Champions League for the third straight season by defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home. Over the two legs, the Premier League club won the tie 2-1, managing yet another comeback in Europe.
The first goal came courtesy of Raheem Sterling, with the winger producing a strong finish to beat Alexander Meyer and find the back of the net. Thereafter, came the ‘controversial’ penalty decision.
Marius Wolf was deemed to have handled the ball in the box to give Chelsea the penalty, after a VAR check. Kai Havertz stepped up to take the penalty but hit the post after sending Meyer the wrong way. The penalty was retaken due to an encroachment, and Havertz produced the same shot, but found the back of the net this time.
A new beginning for Chelsea or another false dawn?
Graham Potter has led the club to consecutive wins and clean sheets for the first time in months. Ideally, Chelsea should have had a few more goals in the game. But, poor decision making in the final third and some bad luck in front of goal denied them a bigger margin of victory.
Dortmund, on the other hand, were unable to muster up almost anything concrete in attack. And the West London club looked dominant and determined to win, against the visitors.
There was significantly more cohesion in the team last night, but there is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the flow of attack. Moreover, Graham Potter’s substitutions have also been criticised with the manager seemingly opting to sit on leads instead of extending them.
But all that matters in the end is for the team to win and get the momentum in their favour again. For the time being, that is what they have been doing. And the confidence from these matches should result in a more positive display on the pitch in subsequent games.
