Joe Cole was blown away by Kai Havertz’s performance during Chelsea’s thrilling triumph on Tuesday night.
The Blues produced one of their memorable European nights at Stamford Bridge to reach this season’s Champions League quarter-finals.
Graham Potter’s side trailed 1-0 on aggregate from the first leg, but a thrilling 2-0 home win this evening has given everyone a massive lift during a challenging season.
First of all, Raheem Sterling levelled the tie with a thunderous half-volley just before half time.
Chelsea’s second goal of the night, which put them through in the last 16 tie, came in huge drama.
Havertz thought he had blown a golden opportunity when he missed his spot-kick early in the second period. However, an encroachment allowed him to retake the penalty, which he this time did convert under immense pressure.
BT Sport pundit Cole singled out Havertz immediately after full time.
“Kai Havertz was coming into the game. Owen is right, he was absolutely outstanding tonight,” Cole told BT Sport 1 (10:15pm, 7 March).
The 23-year-old isn’t always the most popular figure within the fanbase due to a lack of goals, but he’s definitely one for the big occasion.
His seventh goal of the season has breathed new life into Chelsea’s campaign.
On top of his goal, Havertz was fantastic all evening for the Blues.
He was heavily involved in the build up to Sterling’s opener by linking up play, something he did throughout the 90 minutes.
Potter has shown a lot of faith in the German attacker as a nailed-on starter in his team, so it’s great to see that pay off on a big European night.
Next, Chelsea can sit back and enjoy watching the rest of the Champions League ties in the last 16.
Todd Boehly sends clear Chelsea message with Graham Potter meeting after Borussia Dortmund
Graham Potter steered his side to a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund to seal their place in the Champions League quarter-finals
Chelsea’s 2-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund could have a huge influence on the future of Graham Potter and reputation of Todd Boehly’s ownership.
Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz were the goalscorers for Chelsea as they recovered from a 1-0 first-leg defeat at the Signal Iduna Park three weeks ago to progress to the quarter-finals.
The win eases further pressure off Potter after the 47-year-old was faced with severe scrutiny over his future following his side’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham two weeks ago. It is also the first time the north Londoners have won back-to-back games since October.
Following Danny Makkelie’s full-time whistle, the emotions amongst the Chelsea players, staff and supporters perfectly summarised what the result meant to the club. And after the game, footage of inside the tunnel was on hand to show how Bohely reacted.
The co-owner was pictured waiting in the Stamford Bridge tunnel for Potter to return from media duty before shaking his hand and offering the Chelsea boss a hug. Smiles all round from the U.S billionaire, who has stuck by Potter despite external claims to cut ties with the Englishman.
football.london understands that Potter has continued to retain the support of the club ownership over the tricky period. Boehly has previously gone on record of his ambitions to build a project at Stamford Bridge and refrain from jumping ship whenever the tide turns.
Passage to the quarter-final keeps Chelsea’s 2022/23 season alive, with little hope of securing a top four place via the Premier League. They will learn their opponents for the next round and semi-final in Friday’s draw (11am GMT/6am EST), with dreams of replicating Thomas Tuchel’s set to continue over the course of the coming weeks.
