Significant pressure was lifted off Graham Potter’s shoulders as he watched his team put in one of the most consistent performances of his time in charge of Chelsea to progress to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.
Trailing 1-0 in the first leg, Potter knew better than anyone that Chelsea couldn’t afford to go to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
Met with a cacophony of noise as they entered the pitch 10 minutes after the game was due to start due to traffic problems outside the pitch, the Chelsea players looked like a bunch that had given up on the manager.
They hope their quarter-final opponents have managed back-to-back wins, following Saturday’s narrow win over Leeds on Saturday for the first time since October.
Sportsmail’s Sami Mokbel was at Stamford Bridge and has noticed some of the things you might have missed…
Graham Potter was all smiles as his Chelsea side eased the pressure on his shoulders.
The two goalscorers posed for a photo after the match as Chelsea dreamed of more success.
Boehly endorsement brings vindication
There would have been a sense of vindication in Todd Boehly’s luxurious Stamford Bridge executive box when the final whistle was blown last night.
The American tycoon has been Graham Potter’s staunchest supporter when others around him have been floundering.
Who knows how Boehly and his co-controlling partner Behdad Eghbali would have reacted if Chelsea had lost to Leeds on Saturday and missed out on the Champions League here.
It’s nothing you need to worry about right now. Two victories and Boehly’s faith has been rewarded. Barring an almighty capitulation between now and the season finale, expect Potter to get some breathing room to, at the very least, finish out the season.
High drama ushers in the night
There was plenty of drama before this Champions League clash got underway last night. Firstly, the game started 10 minutes later than the scheduled 8pm kick-off after Borussia Dortumund, who had previously trained at the £1,000 an hour Artillery Ground in Islington, arrived just after 7pm. :00 pm after his bus got stuck at rush hour. traffic.
And then, before kick-off, the heavy police presence positioned outside Stamford Bridge sprang into action after Dortmund fans tried to storm the security barricades amid simmering tensions between both sets of fans ahead of kick-off. Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said of his team’s late arrival: “We didn’t know if we would start on time or if there would be a delay to start, it’s very worrying.”
The game had to be delayed 10 minutes after Borussia Dortmund took half an hour to go down
England’s next star appeared in yellow, no, not that one.
There was an English teenager on the Borussia Dortmund team sheet last night who England believe is destined for the top. No, not him. But there is an expectation that Manchester City academy graduate Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, introduced as a second-half substitute, will replace Jude Bellingham in the senior setup sooner or later.
The 18-year-old has already made 18 senior appearances for the Bundesliga side and player development officers at St George’s Park are taking a close look at his international career. The attacker, currently at the Under-19s, is already on the radar of England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley, and he is expected to be promoted to the setup before the close of 2023.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is a player England believe is destined for the very top, along with his Borussia Dortmund team-mate Jude Bellingham.
Mount has stars in his eyes
Mason Mount, who missed last night’s clash with injury, joined the same stable as Chelsea legends Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech after naming The Sports PR Company to help shape his image off the pitch. . The England international is the latest Blues player to assign the London-based firm, led by founder Caroline McAteer, to manage his personal brand.
McAteer has successfully influenced the careers of a number of high-profile footballers over the last 20 years, with David Beckham, Freddie Ljungberg and Cristiano Ronaldo, and more recently Jack Grealish and Heung-min Son all benefiting from his experience.
Reus wants to remain faithful
159 – The number of goals Marco Reus has scored for Borussia Dortmund. The striker’s contract expires at the end of the season with several European clubs, including Manchester United, credited with an interest.
But sources close to the player believe the 33-year-old has his sights firmly set on becoming the club’s all-time record goalscorer with his preference to sign a new contract with the Bundesliga side. Reus chases Alfred Pressier’s 174 goals.
Marco Reus wants to stay at Borussia Dortmund beyond this season to try to break the goalscoring record
Caicedo’s new deal is unlikely to deter potential suitors
Chelsea transfer target Moises Caicedo signed a new contract at Brighton last week and the Stamford Bridge club have spent the last few days figuring out how the deal could affect their interest in the midfielder this summer.
They have come to the conclusion that it is not so, in reality. There is understood to be no release clause in the Ecuadorian’s new deal, meaning the only real change is that Brighton are in a much stronger position to demand the £80m it will cost to get him away from Amex.
The only real question Chelsea have to ask themselves now is whether they are going for Caiciedo, Jude Bellingham or Declan Rice. Without Champions League football, the moves by Bellingham and Rice may be too much for Chelsea. They have already spent close to £600m on new players. What’s another £80m in Caicedo?