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      Five reasons Chelsea beat Dortmund and one cause for concern after dramatic comeback win in Champions League

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      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.
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      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 player against Dortmund

      4. Chilwell on top
      Dortmund couldn’t cope with Ben Chilwell from Chelsea’s left wing-back position.
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      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 Dortmund
      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. More

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      Joe Cole spots Kai Havertz get involved in ‘little melee’ with two Chelsea team-mates just before retaken penalty

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      JOE COLE praised Kai Havertz’s mentality after he scored the winning goal to send Chelsea through against Borussia Dortmund.The Blues overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg to progress to the quarter-final 2-1 on aggregate, with Raheem Sterling also getting on the scoresheet.
      Joe Cole praised Kai Havertz after he scored a winning penalty at the second time of askingCredit: Rex
      But the tie hung in the balance mid-way through the second half when Chelsea were awarded a penalty.
      Cole noticed Sterling and Reece James both put themselves in contention to take the spot-kick before Havertz grabbed the ball.
      The German missed initially but the referee ordered a re-take after spotting encroachment into the box, and Havertz made no mistake second time round.
      That impressed Cole who praised the forward on BT Sport after the match.
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      The pundit said: “He has got a great habit Kai, in big moments, we’ve seen him score the winning goal in the Champions League.
      “We watched, we had a great view from the studio and there was a little melee about who was going to take it.
      “I think Raheem was there, Reece [James] was there and he [Havertz] grabbed it with real meaning and I thought ‘yeah, he’s going to put this away but to do the exact same technique was fantastic.”
      Havertz had the confidence to place his penalty in the same corner but manager Graham Potter did not share his belief.
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      The Chelsea boss could not watch and instead looked down at the ground as the 23-year-old stepped up.
      He told BT Sport: “After the first one I thought I’ll sit down now and listen to the crowd and thankfully the noise was there.
      “I didn’t know a massive amount, I knew they had encroached and my assistant is better with the rules than me.
      “It was him or Reece, sometimes you have to let the lads on the pitch sort it, we’ve got confidence in Kai.
      “I was delighted when I heard the roar, even though I wasn’t watching. I’m in awe of anyone who can take penalties, it wasn’t for me.” More

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      Chelsea fans ‘fully trust the process now’ as Boehly spotted hugging Graham Potter while holding BEER after Dortmund win

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      IT took some convincing, but Graham Potter appears to finally be winning the Chelsea faithful around. After a dreadful run of results which threatened to see the club’s season capitulate, Potter has reverted to a back three and scored back-to-back wins.
      Todd Boehly and Graham Potter in Chelsea trainingCredit: Getty
      Boehly embraced Potter in a hug after Chelsea’s winCredit: Paramount
      Boehly was spotted with a beer in his hand as wellCredit: Paramount
      This included last night’s victory over Borussia Dortmund, which saw Chelsea into the Champions League quarter-finals.
      The win clearly delighted Blues owner Todd Boehly too.
      The American, pictured with a beer in hand, was seen waiting in the tunnel for Potter after the game.
      And as the former Brighton boss came down the tunnel Boehly hugged Potter – no doubt partly a release of built-up stress from previous months.
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      Fans were in a similarly jubilant mood, taking to Twitter to back the under-fire boss.
      One user said: “I fully trust the process now.”
      A second admitted: “I’m very cautiously f***ing excited 🔥🔥🔥🔥🧢🧢.”
      While a third added: “My Owner and Manager.”
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      The match saw Raheem Sterling and a controversial re-taken Kai Havertz penalty guide Chelsea into the next round.
      Fans also praised a MotM performance from Marc Cucurella, who has struggled since moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
      It makes Chelsea the first English club to win a Champions League knockout game this season after all four Premier League representatives drew or lost the opening legs.
      Despite the result, Potter still has some way to go in convincing the whole fanbase to get behind him.
      Winning the next game against Leicester would be a good start to achieving this.
      Here are Chelsea’s next five league games More

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      Chelsea fans praise ‘sensational’ transfer flop in Dortmund win after being booed by fans and trolled by team-mate

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      CHELSEA fans have hailed Marc Cucurella following his superb display in their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.Graham Potter’s side clinched a 2-1 aggregate victory over the German giants on Tuesday evening as they booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
      Marc Cucurella produced a superb performance for Chelsea against DortmundCredit: Getty
      He was named the Uefa Player of the Match for his displayCredit: Getty
      And Cucurella was named the Uefa Player of the Match after a dogged, determined display as part of Chelsea’s back three.
      Due to the unavailability of Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile, the former Brighton man lined up alongside Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly in the heart of the Blues’ defence.
      It came after Potter had left him out of his matchday squad for each of their previous three games against Southampton, Tottenham and Leeds.
      Cucurella has endured a tough time at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea supporters booing him off during their 1-1 draw with West Ham last month.
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      Cucurella was everywhere down the left side for Chelsea
      And after the game new Blues signing Mykhailo Mudryk liked an Instagram post slamming him.
      But the Spaniard answered his critics in Europe on Tuesday night as fans heaped praise on him.
      Reacting on social media, one fan said: “Cucurella’s best performance for the Blues so far, and I am hoping for many more.”
      While another added: “Man played every position on the pitch… he was sensational.”
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      The Blues defender impressed in a host of areas
      A third replied: “For the first time in a Chelsea shirt Cucurella played fantastic football yesterday.”
      And a fourth responded: “Best performance by Cucu in a Chelsea shirt.”
      Cucurella had more touches (59) and completed more passes (35) than any other Chelsea player against Dortmund.
      And Potter hailed his performance after the game, saying: “I’m delighted for him. Obviously when you’re having a bad time like we’ve had then you accept the criticism, you have to deal with it. Marc has dealt with it well.
      “We’ve tried to shield him a little bit and at the same time pick the moment.
      “I thought tonight, regardless of the situation, the crowd were going to get behind us because it’s the Champions League.
      “Tonight, with Benoit not available, I thought he [Cucurella] gave us the left foot and balance in the back three and thankfully he delivered a top performance.” More

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      Arsenal legend Thierry Henry makes STUNNING Kai Havertz comparison after Chelsea man’s ice-cold penalty vs Dortmund

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      THIERRY HENRY has compared Kai Havertz to one of his former Arsenal team-mate.The German was in action as Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to edge through to the Champions League quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.
      Thierry Henry offered his thoughts on Kai HavertzCredit: TWITTER / @CBSSportsGolazo
      Havertz, 23, celebrates his winner with Mateo KovacicCredit: Getty
      Havertz, 23, had a smart finish disallowed for offside before netting the winner from the penalty spot, having been allowed to re-take the spot kick following his initial miss.
      Gunners legend Henry, 45, watched while on punditry duty for CBS Sports.
      Discussing the Chelsea forward’s impact, the Frenchman made a very flattering comparison.
      On Havertz, he said: “I thought he was good. On the first goal he held the ball ever so well.
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      “He reminds me sometimes a little, very little, of Robin, back to goal.
      “Robin van Persie was very good with his left foot – was always immaculate to try and bring people along.
      “It’s why I think out of the guys who used to be wingers or a ten, he plays a nine because back to goal he can hold the ball well.
      “Now he needs to make sure he can transform that into more goals, because you can play off him.”
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      As pointed out by Henry, Havertz held the ball up well against Dortmund
      Havertz, like Chelsea as a whole, has struggled for goals this season.
      He has scored just once in his last ten Prem games, and seven in 33 in all competitions this term.
      Since signing for Chelsea he has netted 30 goals in 125 games, including the winner in the 2021 Champions League final.
      Van Persie, 39, was more prolific than Havertz during his time in the Premier League.
      The Dutchman scored 132 goals in 278 matches for Arsenal, before landing his dream move to Manchester United in 2012.
      He helped the Red Devils to their last Prem title the following season, plundering 58 goals across 105 appearances for the 20-time champions.
      Robin van Persie won the Prem title at Man UnitedCredit: Getty More

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      ‘A joke’ – Fuming Bellingham says Havertz was the real reason crucial penalty had to be retaken in Chelsea win

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      JUDE BELLINGHAM claimed it was a “joke” decision for Chelsea’s penalty to be retaken against Borussia Dortmund.He also suggested it only happened due to Kai Havertz’s spot-kick technique.
      The referee ordered Kai Havertz’s first penalty to be re-taken for encroachmentCredit: BT Sport
      Jude Bellingham claimed that the decision was a ‘joke’Credit: Getty
      He was shown the incident by BT SportCredit: BT Sport
      Raheem Sterling and Havertz netted either side of the break to fire the Blues to a 2-0 win and into the Champions League quarter-finals.
      Chelsea spurned a number of first half chances prior to Sterling finally firing them ahead just before the break – though he nearly messed that up too.
      Ben Chilwell broke down the left and cutback for Sterling, whose first attempt was an air shot but he recovered the ball and rifled it past Marco Reus and the ‘keeper for his first goal since New Year’s Day.
      The Blues then made a flying start to the second half when, after a sharp break saw Chilwell given the room to cross, his ball struck the arm of Marius Wolf.
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      After a VAR review ref Danyy Makkelie pointed to the spot.
      Havertz sent his first effort against the post after a stuttering run-up but the spot kick was ordered to be retaken due to an encroachment by a Dortmund player who then cleared the ball.
      And the German finally ended his seven-game goal drought to double the lead at the second time of asking by slotting into the corner he was aiming for previously.
      However, that decision left Bellingham, who is a summer transfer target for Chelsea and who had clashed with Ben Chilwell in additional time, raging.
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      Bellingham told BT Sport afterwards: “I’ve not seen the incident back, from where I was it looked pretty close, I’m not sure what more you can do with the hands.”
      Then, after watching the replay, he appeared to blame Havertz who used a stuttering run up: “It is a yard or two away. I am not too sure. I don’t want to get in trouble. That in itself was disappointing but the fact they had a retake is a joke.
      “For every penalty with such a slow run up there is going to be encroachment by people running into the box by a yard or so, but that’s the game. They’ve made the decision and we’ve had to live with it.” More

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      Chelsea fans hail struggling star for ‘delivering a masterclass in our biggest game’ against Dortmund

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      MARC CUCURELLA stunned Chelsea fans as much as Borussia Dortmund by returning to “deliver a masterclass in our biggest game of the season”.The recalled left-back was Uefa’s player of the match ahead of Chelsea’s goalscorers as the Blues reached the Champions League last eight.
      Marc Cucurella was Uefa’s man of the match as Chelsea KO’d DortmundCredit: Getty
      Cucurella, right, stepped in for a brilliant display from left-back, as he helped Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Co KO Jude Bellingham’s DortmundCredit: Reuters
      Raheem Sterling and Havertz clinched a 2-0 win for a 2-1 aggregate success over the second-placed Bundesliga side.
      And Cucurella, as as well as Chelsea supporters, hope this could be a huge turning point for the £62million ex-Brighton hero.
      The Spaniard was burgled soon after arriving at Stamford Bridge last August.
      And his form has stuttered along with Chelsea’s, even after his former Brighton boss Graham Potter succeeded Thomas Tuchel in September.
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      But fans raved after his lively display against German giants Dortmund.
      One said: “Poor performances, heavy price tag, fairly & unfairly criticised, out the squad for 3 games in a row, comes straight into the XI & delivers a masterclass in our biggest game of the season. Marc Cucurella.”
      Another posted: “Man of the match today was constantly supporting Chilwell and Koulibaly at the same time.”
      A third supporter wrote: “I would have picked Havertz myself but can’t begrudge Cucurella for winning the award.
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      “Wonderful to see in a difficult season for him on and off the field.”
      And despite Chelsea including expensive recruits like Joao Felix and Enzo Fernandez, unsung Blues were singled out too.
      Such comments included: “Kovacic and Chilwell were my man of the matches. Kepa was also great.” More

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      Jude Bellingham has quiet night in front of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly ahead of summer transfer scramble

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      JUDE BELLINGHAM is considered the jewel in the crown of English football – the teenage midfielder just waiting to take a huge step forward this summer.Arguably England’s best performer at the World Cup last year, he arrived back on home soil with a mushrooming reputation to go with the steadily inflating price tag.
      Jude Bellingham suffered a miserable night at Stamford BridgeCredit: Rex
      The star missed an opportunity to grab a goal for DortmundCredit: Alamy
      At Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea beat Dortmund 2-1 to advance to the last-eight of the Champions League, he came up against Enzo Fernandez, the most expensive player in British history. 
      But the smart money is on Bellingham leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer for more than the £106 million Chelsea paid for their Argentinian – who was officially anointed best young player in Qatar on his way to becoming a world champion at 21.
      There are two years between Ferandez and Bellingham. By the time the former Birmingham City trainee gets the key to the door there is every reason to expect he will be playing at a far higher level than a Chelsea team under shaky construction.
      There were even unsubstantiated pre-match reports that Bellingham’s dad was meeting with officials from Real Madrid just a few hundred metres from the stadium, allegedly teeing up his departure to the current European champions.
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      Nevertheless, Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly was watching closely from the stands and no doubt sizing up whether or not his club should make a play for Bellingham at the end of the season. There is definite interest from the new people upstairs.
      Sod’s law dictated that the young man paying a flying visit back “home” to England to showcase his skills would have a quiet night. He was sub-Jude.
      It was much the same last month when the majestic Signal Iduna Park hosted their Premier League visitors in the first leg. All he got that night was booked.
      Bellingham was unable to get the ball onto his toes and drive at the Chelsea defence in the return.
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      There was an uncharacteristic disconnect between the midfield and the attackers in a German side on a ten game winning streak. 
      Waiting to provide the link up to his strikers was a frustrating game for England’s hottest young player. At one point in the first half he was left stranded up front. 
      A loner who could do nothing with a long ball pumped forward except head the ball aimlessly into space then look around for his non-existent mates and hold his hands up in despair.
      In the 58th minute he was presented with a chance to score. And with the sizeable target of Kalidou Koulibaly in his way could only scuff a shot from six yards wide of the post.
      In Bellingham’s defence, this game largely bypassed the midfield.
      It was 100mph stuff engaging the strikers, mainly in blue, as quickly as possible. Fernandez hardly set the world alight too.
      Chelsea are one of the clubs chasing his signature this summerCredit: Getty More