CHELSEA pulled off their best win of the Graham Potter reign with their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
After going 1-0 in the first leg in Germany, Potter’s men needed something special to get into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Chelsea won a close game with Dortmund
Chelsea stuck with a 3-4-3 formation
And they delivered on a memorable night at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz to see them into the last eight.
We have picked out FIVE reasons why they won… and one potential problem in the next round.
1. Havertz comes good
Havertz played with intelligence and skill as the front man, holding up the ball despite the German side’s physical approach.
Kai Havertz was the focal point of Chelsea’s attacks
2. Cucurella delivers
Marc Cucurella has been a huge disappointment since his £65million move from Brighton but came good when it mattered.
He produced his best game in a blue shirt playing at left centre back and was made Man of the Match.
Cucurella’s Man of the Match performance
Cucurella was a key player as Chelsea made it through to the last eight
3. Midfield dominance
The pairing of Enzo Fernandez and Matteo Kovacic in the centre of midfield were defensive stalwarts.
For most of the game they managed to severely limit Dortmund’s attacking power, especially England World Cup star Jude Bellingham.
Ferrnandez played deep to snuff out Bellingham
Kovacic was a key played against Dortmund
4. Chilwell on top
Dortmund couldn’t cope with Ben Chilwell from Chelsea’s left wing-back position.
The England star should probably have scored in the first half, and combined seamlessly with Cucurella.
Chilwell was a constant threat down Chelsea’s left
5. Kepa keeps them in the game
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made three important saves to keep Chelsea alive.
And he didn’t mess around on the ball, hitting it long to the forwards more often than he passed it around at the back.
Kepa opted for the long ball
And one concern…
Raheem Sterling scored the all-important first goal but overall had a poor game, especially in the first half.
Sterling was not on the ball enough against Dortmunc
He was offside multiple times and was not on the ball enough in deeper positions to have any impact.
And he failed to link well with right wing back Reece James.
Something for Potter to work on in training this week.