Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund analysis as Blues book spot in Champions League quarterfinals
Chelsea scored two goals in a game for the first time in 2023 to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League and overturn their 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund from the first leg.
Goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz secured a 2-0 win on the night and helps ease the pressure on under-fire Graham Potter by keeping their quest for silverware, in what’s been a poor domestic season, alive.
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund analysis as Blues book spot in Champions League quarterfinals
Chelsea came out the blocks quickest with plenty of chances early on with a packed Stamford Bridge roaring their team on to find an early goal. Sterling, Havertz and Joao Felix all looked lively from the off with stand-in goalkeeper Alexander Meyer given an early indication he’d be in for a busy night.
The first real chance of the game came from Dortmund though, as Marco Reus forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into a stunning one-handed save from a free-kick that looked destined to hit the back of the net from 25 yards.
Prior to tonight’s encounter, Havertz had failed to score in all eight of his appearances vs Dortmund — his worst record against any club over his career — and when he struck the inside of the post from a first-time effort on the edge of the box on 28 minutes he must have felt that run was set to continue. 10 minutes later he did have the ball in the back of the net, this time an exquisite, curled effort that looped over Meyer, only for Sterling to be ruled offside in the lead up. How’s your luck?
But the Blues finally got the breakthrough, and themselves back in the tie, before half-time after Sterling, who initially fluffed his shot with the left foot from a low cross from the left flank, regained his composure and hammered it home with his right from close range.
Havertz might have thought his bad luck had run out when he was given the opportunity to convert a penalty shortly after the restart. A VAR check ensured the Blues were awarded a penalty after Marius Wolf handled from Ben Chilwell’s cross at point-blank range. However, the German’s penalty struck the post. Luckily for him, there was encroachment into the box behind him and he was allowed a retake. This time, he made no mistake and slotted it the other side of the post to end his torrid run against Dortmund.
Chelsea would again have the ball in the net late on as Conor Gallagher tapped into an empty goal but Sterling was ruled offside again in the build up as Potter made sensible substitutions to see the game out.
Dortmund gave it one final push in the last moments but Chelsea stood tall and closed out the match to book their spot in the quarterfinals.
Havertz was a man on a mission in west London this evening, seemingly determined to end his run of eight games without a goal against Dortmund.
An early effort blazed over in the opening 10 minutes won’t have helped those nerves but the 2021 Champions League final scorer didn’t let it affect him as he grew into the game. He attempted five shots in Chelsea’s match — the most he’s managed in a single game this season.
Having struck the post twice, including his first penalty effort, he could have been forgiven for thinking tonight was not going to be his night. Yet he showed guts to stick with his stutter run-up and go the same side from his retake to finally end that run. Had he missed, the Chelsea crowd were ready to erupt on him.
“I don’t know what I was thinking [when it hit the post] but the referee let me retake the penalty. I was a bit nervous but I scored,” said Havertz. “I tried to wait and look at the keeper and the second one was a bit easier.”
What is Raheem Sterling’s Champions League goals record?
“His goalscoring record in the Champions League speaks for itself,” said Potter before tonight’s match. “He’s a proven campaigner in that competition.”
Correct. He now has three goals in Europe for the Blues this season — building on his record of 24 goals in 67 Champions League games for former club Manchester City. Sterling’s 27 Champions League goals is the second-most of any English player in competition history.
“I had a little miskick with the first touch but it landed perfectly and allowed us to build on that for our performance,” Sterling said on his goal. The England international is a joy to watch when playing at his best and tormenting defenders with his pace and trickery, yet when it doesn’t go his way he can became an easy target for fans to direct their frustrations.
Having fluffed his lines in the opening two minutes by taking too long to get a shot off and strayed offside several times throughout, Potter could easily have hooked him. But, credit to Potter, he stuck with him and he had a huge say in the outcome of the result.
Can Chelsea win the Champions League?
Well, Chelsea’s win tonight was only their fourth since the World Cup. Dortmund join the mighty list of Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Leeds as teams they’ve scalped.
Out of both domestic cups and 10th in the Premier League, Potter’s only chance of silverware comes in Europe. While he’ll play his strongest team and go for glory in the Champions League, it will be interesting to see how he balances that with keeping their slim hopes of a top-four finish alive.
But Chelsea are seemingly a different beast in the Champions League. Heading into tonight, Dortmund were looking for an 11th consecutive victory in all competitions, while Chelsea were hoping to record back-to-back wins for the first time since October! They’ve won five of their eight Champions League matches this term.
Everything went Chelsea’s way this evening and while Potter is finding his feet in the Champions League, the club are two-time winners and that experience and history will carry for plenty in the business end of the competition.
Chelsea have now progressed from five UCL knockout stage ties after losing the first leg — the joint most of any team (Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid have also achieved that feat) — but no team will want to draw them in the next round given their European form.
The Blues can now look forward to learning their quarterfinal opponent when the draw is made on March 17.
Chelsea starting XI (3-4-3): Kepa (GK) — Fofana, Koulibaly Cucurella — James, Kovacic (83′ Loftus-Cheek), Fernandez, Chillwell — Sterling (83′ Pulisic), Havertz, Felix (67′ Gallagher)
Dortmund starting XI (4-1-4-1): Meyer (GK) — Wolf, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro — Can — Brandt (5′ Reyna), Bellingham, Ozcan (63′ Bynoe-Gittens), Reus — Haller (77′ Malen)
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund final score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Chelsea | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Final aggregate score: Chelsea 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Goals:
CHE — Sterling (43rd min)
CHE — Havertz (52nd min)
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund live updates, highlights from Champions League
