Cool Kai Havertz delivers in heat of moment to send Chelsea into quarters
COOL KAI: Chelsea's Kai Havertz scores their side's second goal of the game. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire.
MAYBE GRAHAM POTTER is a wizard after all.
Chelsea achieved the unlikely feat of progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals by scoring twice for the first time this year, but it took a fair bit of luck to beat Borussia Dortmund.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, only victory by at least a two-goal margin would see the Blues progress, and they managed it in controversial fashion with a twice taken penalty after two interventions by VAR.
But Kai Havertz finally converted it at the second attempt, to add to Raheem Sterling's first-half goal, and Chelsea went through on a dramatic night at Stamford Bridge.
Potter kept faith with the 3-4-3 formation that brought victory over Leeds last weekend, with Reece James returning from injury and Marc Cucurella in for Badoit Badiashile, and both were excellent as the Blues withstood a late barrage from Dortmund.
The German fans brought a noisy presence and pre-match pyrotechnics around Stamford Bridge that delayed kick off by ten minutes.
There was still yellow smoke swirling around Stamford Bridge when the game got underway, and perhaps that was what confused Sterling as he made a hash of an early chance, dithering and losing the ball after being sent clear by Havertz.
Edin Terzic's plans had to change when Julian Brandt limped off injured in the third minute, and when his replacement Gio Reyna was fouled 25 yards from goal, Marco Reus powered in a free-kick that Kepa Arrizabalaga did well to save at full stretch.
The Germans were the dominant side for most of the first-half, with the precocious Jude Bellingham pulling the strings in midfield, but Chelsea had the better chances. Joao Felix was at the heart of their best moves and the Portuguese put Havertz in on goal only for the German to lift his shot over the bar.
Shortly before the half-hour mark, Havertz went even closer when his first-time shot struck the base of a post from 20 yards and flew agonisingly across goal with no team-mate able to divert the ball into goal. When he finally got the ball into the net ten minutes later, shooting home after Sterling had been denied, the effort was disallowed because the latter was offside in the build-up.
Chelsea's luck was out at this stage. Kalidou Koulibaly failed to turn home a cross from Ben Chilwell, and Felix hit the loose ball straight at Arrizabalaga from close range. Chilwell then blasted a half-chance wildly wide, before their luck changed shortly before half-time.
Havertz and Mateo Kovacic combined well to send Chilwell away on the left. The full-back drilled a low cross to Sterling, who fluffed his shot initially but got a lucky bounce and smashed the loose ball high into the net from 12 yards.
The home supporters erupted with relief as much as anything, and Chelsea were level on aggregate. But the drama was about to be ramped up after half-time. Chelsea came out with more intent and laid siege to the Dortmund goal. When Chilwell's cross struck the arm of Marius Wolf in the 49th minute, referee Danny Makkelie initially saw nothing wrong.
But after a minute or so he was advised by VAR to review the incident on a pitchside monitor, and awarded a penalty. Havertz stepped up with a stuttering run and crashed his shot against the post. But German celebrations were shortlived. VAR had spotted players from both sides encroaching into the area as Havertz paused in his run-up, and even though Chilwell was the first of them, Makkelie ordered the penalty to be retaken.
Havertz did exactly the same run up and put the ball to Meyer's left again, this time with success.
Chelsea's celebrations were matched in intensity to Dortmund's protests but Makkelie took no notice.
Chelsea were finally ahead in the tie, having scored the requisite two goals for the first time in 2023. Bellingham, who was coming in for some rough stuff, should have equalised five minutes later but shot wide from close range when the ball dropped to him in a crowded penalty area.
Potter made changes in an attempt to close out the game, and one of his substitutes, Conor Gallagher, put the ball in the net only to be denied by an offside flag against Sterling again.
It mattered little as the Blues held out to make it through to the last eight, and high in the executive boxes, co-owner Todd Boehly punched the air on the final whistle.
Chelsea's only chance of a success this season is to win this trophy, and if they continue to ride their luck like this, who knows how far they can go.
Arrizabalaga 7; Fofana 6, Koulibaly 7, Cucurella 7; James 8, Kovacic 7 (Loftus-Cheek 82), Fernandez 7 (Zakaria 87), Chilwell 7; Sterling 6 (Pulisic 82), Havertz 7, Felix 7 (Gallagher 67) B
Meyer 7; Wolf 7, Sule 7, Schlotterbeck 6, Guerreiro 6; Brandt 6 (Reyna 5), Bellingham 7, Can 7, Ozcan 6 (Bynoe-Gittens 64), Reus 7; Haller 5 (Malen 77).
Danny Makkelie 6/10
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