A goal in each half was all Chelsea needed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals at the expense of German side Borussia Dortmund.

That’s exactly what Chelsea did on Tuesday, with goals coming from Raheem Sterling in the first half while Kai Havertz scored a second-half penalty to ease the pressure on Graham Potter’s men. After losing the first leg 1-0 in Germany last time out, it seemed like a tough task for the Blues, who had before Tuesday night not scored two goals in a game since last October.

However, these signs of redemption were there as Chelsea beat Leeds United 1-0 at the weekend in the Premier League thanks to a Wesley Fofana goal.

Chelsea dominated the first half of the encounter at Stamford Bridge against Borussia Dortmund Tuesday but could not find a way through until the stroke of half-time when Raheem Sterling opened the scoring. Kai Havertz had initially seen a goal ruled out for offside, but his first take of a penalty in the second half hit the upright. Luckily for him, the referee demanded that the penalty be retaken due to encroachment of the penalty area by the Borussia Dortmund players.

The German forward was able to put the ball into the back of the net and help Chelsea secure a quarterfinal stage and their first back-to-back victory in 2023.

After the game, Graham Potter couldn’t find the right words to describe the performance of his boys and the result, but he was able to identify that his team needed to build on the momentum of back-to-back wins and recover quickly ahead of Saturday’s premier league tie against Leicester City.

“We have to recover and prepare for Saturday when we play Leicester. It is great for the boys, two clean sheets after a tough period. You get that in life, and it is about how you respond, and the players have been fantastic.” Potter said.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu