Graham Potter said Chelsea have plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund after being the "dominant" team in Germany despite a 1-0 defeat on Wednesday.
Chelsea, who arrived in Dortmund in poor form with one win in their previous eight matches, controlled large parts of the game at Signal Iduna Park and led on several key attacking stats, producing eight shots on target to Dortmund's two – 21 to 14 shots overall – and having 10 corners to the hosts' five.
But the only stat that matters was once again missing for Chelsea as Karim Adeyemi scored a brilliant solo goal on the counter attack to hand Dortmund a slender lead ahead of the return fixture at Stamford Bridge.
"Overall, we were pleased with the performance for big parts of the game," Chelsea manager Potter said. "It is complicated away from home in the Champions League, in a hostile environment against a team that's in a good moment."
Joao Felix, on loan from Atletico Madrid, was once again excellent for the Blues and had two good chances to score, missing the target with his first effort and striking the post with his second.
For all their eye-catching attacking movement, it took until nearly an hour into the match before Chelsea had a shot on target, but they then had a further seven, Reece James forcing a couple of good saves from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, and Kalidou Koulibaly having a deflected shot cleared off the line.
Enzo Fernandez, the most expensive of the January recruits, then looked to have earned Chelsea a deserved draw but his top-corner bound effort was tipped away by Kobel in injury time.
Dortmund v Chelsea player ratings
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BORUSSIA DORTMUND RATINGS: Gregor Kobel 8 – Pulled off some excellent saves, the standout being a sprawling stop to tip Reece James’ effort over the bar. AFP -
Marius Wolf 7 – Excellent in the final third, firing several rasping shots just wide, while also working tirelessly to win possession back quickly. Getty -
Niklas Sule 6 – Dependable for the most part, although the towering German’s lack of mobility was exposed at times against Chelsea’s pacy attack. PA -
Nico Schlotterbeck 7 – Crucial in the final moments of the game, stepping up as Chelsea rained crosses into the penalty area. AFP -
Raphael Guerreiro 6 – Got into some excellent attacking positions but was wasteful with his end product. Seemed to tire in the second half. AFP -
Emre Can 7 – Energetic and committed - evidenced best by his dramatic goal-line clearance from Koulibaly’s second-half strike. His enthusiasm boiled over at times, leading to the midfielder picking up a second-half yellow. EPA -
Julian Brandt 8 – The 26-year-old extended his sparkling run of form with another classy display tonight. As the German side’s creative hub, he threaded several perfect through balls to his teammates in advanced positions. Reuters -
Jude Bellingham 8 – Dortmund’s young superstar pulled the strings all evening, leading from the front both defensively and offensively. Everything good that the hosts did seemed to go through the Englishman. Getty -
Salih Ozcan 7 – The quieter of BVB’s midfielders, he kept things neat and tidy in possession, while helping to mop things up on the defensive side. His efforts to track the movements of Joao Felix were less effective. AFP -
Karim Adeyemi 8 – Scorer of the only goal, having streaked away from Enzo Fernandez before rounding Kepa. It was a deserved reward for Adeyemi, whose movement caused Chelsea problems from the first minute. AFP -
Sebastien Haller 6 – Showcased some flashes of his old brilliance. His link-up play was very effective in the first half. AFP -
SUBS: Anthony Modeste 6 – Didn’t see a great deal of the ball as Chelsea pushed for a leveller in the final 20 minutes. AFP -
Julian Ryerson 5 – Picked up a yellow card for time wasting, which ended up instigating a touchline fracas between the two sets of players. Getty -
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens N/A – Lively on the counter, although chances to stride forward were few and far between. Getty -
CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga 5 – Was rounded very easily by Adeyemi for the goal. That aside, the Spaniard had very little to do. Getty -
DF: Reece James 7 – Chelsea’s best performer, forcing a couple of excellent saves from Kobel, while also turning provider from wide right. Led from the front defensively too. Getty -
Thiago Silva 7 – Used his hand to try and score in first half. However, the Brazilian made amends with some standout interceptions and headed clearances. AFP -
Kalidou Koulibaly 6 – Solid at the back, growing as the game wore on. Saw his firm strike inside the Dortmund box cleared off the line by Can on the hour mark. AFP -
Ben Chilwell 6 – Dangerous at set-pieces, although the England international looked less than convincing defensively. Was replaced by Marc Cucurella in the 70th minute. Getty -
Ruben Loftus-Cheek 6 – Influential in spells, especially on the defensive side. Having started brightly, he did fade in the second half. EPA -
Enzo Fernandez 7 – The World Cup winner oozed quality, keeping things ticking over nicely for Chelsea in the middle of the park. But was beaten by Adeyemi before the German slotted home the winner. EPA -
Hakim Ziyech 7 – Very dangerous from the wide right, showing manager Graham Potter just how much he has left to give in a Chelsea shirt. The Moroccan was unfortunate not to have grabbed an assist. AFP -
Joao Felix 7 – Should have ended up on the scoresheet, having squandered two golden opportunities. But the early signs are good for the Blues, as his movement caused so many problems for the BVB backline. AFP -
Mykhailo Mudryk 6 – Another underwhelming performance from the Ukrainian winger. Showed some flashes of what he’s capable of, but all too often he was wasteful in the final third. EPA -
Kai Havertz 6 – Linked play nicely in the opening stages, but lacked killer instinct inside the Dortmund box. AFP -
SUBS: Mason Mount 5 – A forgettable cameo from the 24-year-old, who picked up a late yellow card. PA -
Marc Cucurella 7 – Whipping some teasing crosses into the Dortmund box in a bid to force an equaliser. Getty
Chelsea have scored just four goals in nine games this year and only once have scored twice or more in the same game since the start of November.
"It was an even first half, we managed the game quite well with good opportunities to counter-attack and we hit the bar," Potter said. "Then in the second half apart from the one decisive action where we didn't do well enough, we were dominant, the better team and created some good chances.
"We needed a little bit of luck maybe and a little bit of final execution. We deserved a goal but have to keep going. It's half time. It's a tight tie. We look forward to Stamford Bridge."
While pleased with Chelsea's overall performance, Potter admitted his side should have done better with Adeyemi's goal, which saw the forward race clear with the Blues exposed at the back.
"We were pushing at the time and were the better team so to concede in that manner is disappointing," he said. "But the players are honest, they know they can do better with that. We have to help them of course but we have to focus on the positive which was the performance. Another step forward for us."
Dortmund manager Edin Terzic admitted that his team did ride their luck at times but said he was pleased with the way they managed to grind out a victory to extend their fine form to seven straight wins.
"It's great to come out on the winning side," Terzic told DAZN. "There was a little bit of luck involved and we had an exceptional goalkeeper. But there's no need to apologise after winning at home against Chelsea in the last 16.
"What we really needed was longer periods of possession. We won the ball well in midfield a lot, but then gave it away again too cheaply.
"There were a lot of good things, too – the best of which is the result – but we know it's not easy to play against Chelsea and we took a good step tonight."
