Raheem Sterling said he was always confident Chelsea would overturn their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund after the Blues secured a 2-0 win on Tuesday night to advance to the quarter-finals.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Chelsea deservedly claimed the victory at Stamford Bridge which sent them through to the last eight, with Sterling levelling the tie just before half time and Kai Havertz scoring the winner from the penalty spot at the second attempt eight minutes after the break.
Havertz saw his first penalty rebound off the post but referee Danny Makkelie, following a VAR consultation, ordered it to be retaken after Dortmund players encroached the area. The German made no mistake the second time, placing his shot in the same direction but this time tucked the ball inside the post.
It was the sort of good fortune, Sterling said, has been lacking for Chelsea this season.
"It was a massive performance. We had to dig deep," the England international said. "We took our chances and recently we just haven’t had the luck. Tonight, we felt it as a team, we knew we could do it. Kai did it for us in the end.
"I have seen Kai shoot penalties all the time in training, and I was so confident in him, and he knew exactly what he was doing and I knew he would put it in the back of the net."
Sterling's goal was his 27th in the Champions League. The 27-year-old forward collected Ben Chilwell's cross inside the Dortmund area but a poor first touch almost ended the move. However, he kept the chance alive under pressure before lashing the ball into the roof of the net.
"I miskicked it and didn’t have a great first touch, but it landed perfectly for me and that set us on our way to build on the performance," Sterling said.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter heaped praise on his players after a "fantastic evening" at Stamford Bridge.
Potter, appointed last September, has been under increasing pressure amid a domestic season which sees Chelsea languish in mid-table in the Premier League. A scrappy 1-0 victory over Leeds United last Saturday was only the Blues' second win in their past nine league games, but now with two successive wins, confidence and optimism is higher than they were just a week ago.
Chelsea v Dortmund player ratings
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CHELSEA PLAYER RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 7: Did superbly to keep out Reus’s first-half free-kick attempt. Other than that, Dortmund didn’t really ask much of the Spaniard. AFP -
Reece James - 8: Looked dynamic driving forward down the right wing and linked up well with Sterling. A welcome return after his injury. Getty -
Marc Cucurella - 8: The defender’s passing from deep was fantastic, and he looked comfortable playing in a three. His aggressiveness when intercepting was well-executed. PA -
Kalidou Koulibaly - 7: Looked reassured at the back and kept Dortmund’s attacking talent at bay. Reuters -
Wesley Fofana - 7: Appeared calm at the back and didn’t let the occasion get to him. Solid outing. AP -
Ben Chilwell - 8: Looked threatening going forward down the left and provided quality deliveries into the box, one of which found Sterling for his goal. Won the penalty for Chelsea’s second. Reuters -
Enzo Fernandez - 7: Worked hard in the centre of midfield and covered plenty of ground. A gritty but impressive performance from the record signing. Reuters -
Mateo Kovacic - 8: Constantly looked to play forward-thinking passes, rarely put a foot wrong. A performance worthy of the armband. Reuters -
Raheem Sterling - 7: Kept knocking on the Dortmund door in the first half and was eventually rewarded when he broke the deadlock with a neat finish. Cooled off slightly in the second period. Getty -
Kai Havertz - 8: Constant movement and energy up top, which caused Dortmund problems. Showed composure to score his penalty at the second time of asking after his missed first attempt had to be retaken. Getty -
Joao Felix - 8: An influential figure going forward for Chelsea, driving at the opponent’s back line with purpose and adding some neat passes and dribbles. Drifted out of the game in the second half before being subbed. Reuters -
SUBS: Conor Gallagher (Félix, 67’) - 6: A typical Gallagher cameo that saw plenty of energy. Slotted into the midfield nicely. Reuters -
Christian Pulisic (Kovačić, 82’) - N/A: Came on looking to finish off his former club but Dortmund were mostly in possession as they searched for a goal. AFP; Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Sterling, 82’) - N/A: Didn’t have much time to affect the game in his usual ways but made some important clearances late on; Denis Zakaria (Fernández, 87’) - N/A: His physicality provided a massive boost in his side’s hopes of holding on to the clean sheet. -
BORUSSIA DORTMUND RATINGS: Alexander Meyer - 5: Was forced into making several important saves in the first half as Chelsea came out firing. Couldn’t do much for either goal. EPA -
Marius Wolf - 4: Looked shaky at times with Felix and Chilwell coming at him. Gave a penalty away by handling the ball in the box. Reuters -
Nico Schlotterbeck - 5: Did OK defensively but made the occasional sloppy pass due to the home side’s constant pressing. Reuters -
Niklas Sule - 4: Struggled with the pace of Chelsea’s forward players, looked uncomfortable when he was forced to turn back to goal. AP -
Raphaël Guerreiro - 6: Found it difficult defensively dealing with the physicality of James. Provided plenty of energy going forward with some decent deliveries. Getty -
Emre Can - 6: Acted as a third central defender at times when dropping deep, provided good cover for his backline. Sloppy on the ball at times. PA -
Julian Brandt - N/A: Was taken off just minutes after kick-off with what looked to be a hamstring injury. A big loss. Reuters -
Salih Ozcan - 5: Made some vital challenges during Chelsea’s constant waves of pressure in the first half. Taken off during the second half when his side needed more attacking options on the pitch. Getty -
Jude Bellingham - 7: Perhaps didn’t see the ball as much as he would have liked, but always looked bright in midfield and going forward. Dortmund’s most influential player. Getty -
Marco Reus - 5. Almost broke the deadlock with a fine free-kick attempt but that somehow palmed away by Arrizabalga. Getty -
Sebastien Haller - 4: Worked hard to be a focal point for his side but struggled to grow into the game. Getty -
SUBS: Giovanni Reyna (Brandt, 4’) - 6: Was brought on much earlier than he would have anticipated but grew into the game quickly. Looked threatening when on the ball. Reuters -
Donyell Malen (Haller, 76’) - N/A: Worked hard to cause problems in attack but was starved of opportunities. Getty; Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Ozcan, 63’) - 6: Couldn’t really grow into the game when his side were desperate to get back into the tie.
The win over Dortmund, who entered the game on a 10-match winning run, was also the first time Chelsea had scored two goals in a game since beating Bournemouth by the same score on December 27.
"It was a fantastic atmosphere, a fantastic evening," Potter said. "The players were tremendous, the supporters were tremendous. It’s a fantastic result on such a big night and I’m just so proud of the players.
"We played really well and we created a lot of good opportunities. I think over the two games we did enough to win the tie, but we still had to get the job done, which we did.
"I’m just delighted for the players that we could get the win and thrilled for everyone here in the stadium tonight. It was a special night and I’m really pleased that the supporters could enjoy a night like that. A big thanks to them, they were amazing.
"It was a passionate evening. Stamford Bridge was rocking, and our performance helped that. We pressed high, we won tackles, we were organised, and we played some decent stuff against a top team. We’re really happy to go through."
