Chelsea manager Graham Potter celebrates after the end of the Champions League round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge. AP
Chelsea manager Graham Potter celebrates after the end of the Champions League round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge. AP
Chelsea manager Graham Potter celebrates after the end of the Champions League round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge. AP
Chelsea manager Graham Potter celebrates after the end of the Champions League round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge. AP

Potter says 'weight lifted off my shoulders' after back-to-back Chelsea wins


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Chelsea manager Graham Potter heaved a sigh of relief as the Champions League last-16 triumph over Borussia Dortmund lifted a weight off his shoulders following a poor run of results.

The Blues won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and advance to the quarter-finals.

The victory against the Bundesliga side followed a Premier League win against Leeds, handing Chelsea their first back-to-back successes since October.

"Has the weight been lifted off my shoulders? Yes, in some ways," said Potter, whose team have won just two of their past 10 Premier League matches.

"I'm not getting carried away, it's just two wins so we have to focus on Leicester. The boys have been in a good place, good spirit, they've stuck together in a bad time which is good, there's a lot to say about that."

Chelsea's supporters voiced their relief at Stamford Bridge at full-time on Tuesday.

  • Chelsea's Raheem Sterling celebrates with Enzo Fernandez and Ben Chilwell after scoring their first goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last-16 second-leg game at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Reuters
    Chelsea's Raheem Sterling celebrates with Enzo Fernandez and Ben Chilwell after scoring their first goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last-16 second-leg game at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Reuters
  • Kai Havertz of Chelsea celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal. EPA
    Kai Havertz of Chelsea celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal. EPA
  • Raheem Sterling of Chelsea scores their first goal. Getty
    Raheem Sterling of Chelsea scores their first goal. Getty
  • Kai Havertz of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Mateo Kovacic after scoring the second goal. EPA
    Kai Havertz of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Mateo Kovacic after scoring the second goal. EPA
  • Chelsea's Kai Havertz scores the team's second goal with a re-taken penalty. AFP
    Chelsea's Kai Havertz scores the team's second goal with a re-taken penalty. AFP
  • Chelsea's Kai Havertz celebrates scoring their second goal. PA
    Chelsea's Kai Havertz celebrates scoring their second goal. PA
  • Dortmund players surround referee Danny Makkelie after he ruled that Chelsea's German midfielder Kai Havertz should re-take his penalty after a VAR review. AFP
    Dortmund players surround referee Danny Makkelie after he ruled that Chelsea's German midfielder Kai Havertz should re-take his penalty after a VAR review. AFP
  • Dortmund players surround Referee Danny Makkelie after he deemed ruled that Chelsea could re-take their penalty. AFP
    Dortmund players surround Referee Danny Makkelie after he deemed ruled that Chelsea could re-take their penalty. AFP
  • Chelsea's Kai Havertz hits the post from the penalty spot before a VAR review led to the spot kick being re-taken for encroachment by Borussia Dortmund. AFP
    Chelsea's Kai Havertz hits the post from the penalty spot before a VAR review led to the spot kick being re-taken for encroachment by Borussia Dortmund. AFP
  • Chelsea's Conor Gallagher scores a goal that was disallowed for offside. Reuters
    Chelsea's Conor Gallagher scores a goal that was disallowed for offside. Reuters
  • Chelsea's Kai Havertz watches his shot hit the post. AFP
    Chelsea's Kai Havertz watches his shot hit the post. AFP
  • Joao Felix of Chelsea shoots under pressure from Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund. Getty
    Joao Felix of Chelsea shoots under pressure from Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund. Getty
  • Chelsea's Kai Havertz scores only for his goal to be disallowed for offside. PA
    Chelsea's Kai Havertz scores only for his goal to be disallowed for offside. PA
  • Kai Havertz of Chelsea reacts after scoring a goal that was ruled out after an offside. Getty
    Kai Havertz of Chelsea reacts after scoring a goal that was ruled out after an offside. Getty
  • Dortmund's German Marco Reus takes a free-kick. AFP
    Dortmund's German Marco Reus takes a free-kick. AFP
  • Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga is shown a yellow card by referee Danny Makkelie. Reuters
    Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga is shown a yellow card by referee Danny Makkelie. Reuters
  • Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga makes a save from a Borussia Dortmund free-kick. AFP
    Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga makes a save from a Borussia Dortmund free-kick. AFP
  • Sebastien Haller of Borussia Dortmund battles with Wesley Fofana of Chelsea. Getty
    Sebastien Haller of Borussia Dortmund battles with Wesley Fofana of Chelsea. Getty
  • Chelsea's Mateo Kovacic and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham jump for the ball. PA
    Chelsea's Mateo Kovacic and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham jump for the ball. PA
  • Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly head at goal. AFP
    Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly head at goal. AFP
  • Chelsea's Kai Havertz has a shot under pressure from Borussia Dortmund's Emre Can. PA
    Chelsea's Kai Havertz has a shot under pressure from Borussia Dortmund's Emre Can. PA
  • Chelsea's Reece James and Ben Chilwell. Reuters
    Chelsea's Reece James and Ben Chilwell. Reuters
  • Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt leaves the pitch after picking up an injury early in the game. Reuters
    Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt leaves the pitch after picking up an injury early in the game. Reuters
  • Yellow smoke form flares let off by Dortmund fans fills Stamford Bridge. AFP
    Yellow smoke form flares let off by Dortmund fans fills Stamford Bridge. AFP
  • Dortmund fans hold up yellow flares before kick-off. AFP
    Dortmund fans hold up yellow flares before kick-off. AFP

"It's our job to produce games and produce results," said Potter. "I think that the performance was a positive one and I think that they appreciated that.

"I think generally when that's the case (winning) they get behind the team and support the team so I have nothing to say about how we've been treated with the supporters -- they've been great, fantastic."

Potter will be without Raheem Sterling and Reece James for the trip to Leicester on Saturday.

Sterling, who scored the goal that levelled the two-legged tie on Tuesday, is out with a tight hamstring while James has been ill and did not train on Friday.

N'Golo Kante, who has not played since August after undergoing surgery on an injured hamstring, will not be rushed back to face his former side at the King Power Stadium but is in line to make a return for next Saturday's home game against Everton.

Meanwhile, Potter said that Mykhailo Mudryk will return to the Chelsea side stronger after spending four games out of the starting line-up. The winger has struggled to make an impact since his £88million transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk in January and has not started since the first-leg defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last month.

Potter said: "Every player wants to play and it's important that players play in order to improve. That's a fact.

"But at the same time it's not a straight road. It's not just play and then everything happens in a linear way. Sometimes you have to take a step away, sometimes you just need a bit of training time, just need a breather. Lots of factors."

The biog

Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
 

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Greatest Royal Rumble results

John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match

Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto

Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus

Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal

Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos

Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe

AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out

The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match

Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
  • Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
  • Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. 
Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')

Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)

Fireball

Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.

A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.

"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.

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%3Cp%3E-%20April%2017%2C%202013%3A%20A%20bipartisan-drafted%20bill%20to%20expand%20background%20checks%20and%20ban%20assault%20weapons%20fails%20in%20the%20Senate.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20July%202015%3A%20Bill%20to%20require%20background%20checks%20for%20all%20gun%20sales%20is%20introduced%20in%20House%20of%20Representatives.%20It%20is%20not%20brought%20to%20a%20vote.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20June%2012%2C%202016%3A%20Orlando%20shooting.%20Barack%20Obama%20calls%20on%20Congress%20to%20renew%20law%20prohibiting%20sale%20of%20assault-style%20weapons%20and%20high-capacity%20magazines.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20October%201%2C%202017%3A%20Las%20Vegas%20shooting.%20US%20lawmakers%20call%20for%20banning%20bump-fire%20stocks%2C%20and%20some%20renew%20call%20for%20assault%20weapons%20ban.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20February%2014%2C%202018%3A%20Seventeen%20pupils%20are%20killed%20and%2017%20are%20wounded%20during%20a%20mass%20shooting%20in%20Parkland%2C%20Florida.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20December%2018%2C%202018%3A%20Donald%20Trump%20announces%20a%20ban%20on%20bump-fire%20stocks.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20August%202019%3A%20US%20House%20passes%20law%20expanding%20background%20checks.%20It%20is%20not%20brought%20to%20a%20vote%20in%20the%20Senate.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20April%2011%2C%202022%3A%20Joe%20Biden%20announces%20measures%20to%20crack%20down%20on%20hard-to-trace%20'ghost%20guns'.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20May%2024%2C%202022%3A%20Nineteen%20children%20and%20two%20teachers%20are%20killed%20at%20an%20elementary%20school%20in%20Uvalde%2C%20Texas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20June%2025%2C%202022%3A%20Joe%20Biden%20signs%20into%20law%20the%20first%20federal%20gun-control%20bill%20in%20decades.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

First-round leaderbaord

-5 C Conners (Can)

-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);

-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)

Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)

Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng) 

1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)

3 R McIlroy (NI)

4 D Johnson (US)

MATCH INFO

Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')

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Updated: March 11, 2023, 5:55 AM