Chelsea 2-0 Borussia Dortmund: Player ratings as Blues complete Champions League comeback
Chelsea overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg to advance to the quarter-final of the Champions League at Borussia Dortmund’s expense.
After a ten-minute delay to kick-off, goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz secured an impressive 2-0 victory for Chelsea, who could have easily had a few more goals on another night.
Sterling got through on goal after the first 90 seconds but, when presented with the chance to chip goalkeeper Alexander Meyer, the England international appeared to lose all confidence and will have been thankful to see the offside flag spare his blushes.
Meyer had to get down well to deny Joao Felix soon after, before Havertz struck the side netting in an energetic start from Chelsea.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was the next goalkeeper to step up, extending to keep out an excellent free-kick from Marco Reus as Dortmund started to enjoy more possession.
Chelsea nearly took the lead on the half-hour mark as Havertz’s half-volley beat Meyer but struck the post and fizzed across the goal-line and away. The German had the ball in the back of the net ten minutes later but another offside flag came to Dortmund’s rescue.
The best chance of the half came soon after as Ben Chilwell’s crossed free-kick found Kalidou Koulibaly unmarked at the back post, but the centre-back got his feet all wrong and managed to clear the ball when it looked easier to score.
The Blues’ well-deserved opener finally came shortly before the interval. Chilwell’s cross found Sterling who mis-hit his first effort, but he regained his composure and thundered through a crowd to tie things up on aggregate at the break.
Another fast start to the second half saw Chelsea awarded a penalty after just a few minutes. Chilwell’s cross struck the arm of Marius Wolf and VAR urged the awarding of a spot kick, but Havertz’s effort crashed back off the post. However, encroachment saw the German handed a second chance, and this time, he made no mistake.
Dortmund nearly profited from some penalty-box chaos as Jude Bellingham tapped agonisingly wide from just a few yards out, reminding Chelsea that this tie was not yet over.
Conor Gallagher had the ball in the back of an open net with 15 minutes to go but the offside flag was Chelsea’s nemesis once again, with assister Sterling once again deemed to have gone too early.
It was a nervy end to the game for Chelsea, who were regularly pinned back in their own box, but the Blues never really looked troubled as they held on for what could be an enormous victory in the Graham Potter era.
Chelsea player ratings (3-4-3)
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6/10 – A nice save from Reus’ free-kick in an otherwise comfortable evening.
CB: Wesley Fofana – 7/10 – Another composed defensive showing. His recovery pace was crucial to Chelsea’s entire setup.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly – 8/10 – Would have had a higher rating if he hadn’t fluffed his glorious chance in the first half. Was a real monster in the air.
CB: Marc Cucurella – 7/10 – Cucurella’s best showing in a Chelsea shirt without question. Defended on the front foot and played like he had a point to prove – which he absolutely did.
RM: Reece James – 7/10 – Looked a little scared of Guerreiro early on but gradually grew in confidence. Chelsea looked a different side when he woke up.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 7/10 – A quality showing in midfield. Great press resistance as Dortmund tried to fight their way back into the game.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 7/10 – A bit slow to start the game but relished the ugly side of things when he was outnumbered against Dortmund’s three-man midfield.
LM: Ben Chilwell – 8/10 – A constant threat down the left wing. Some excellent deliveries which could have easily earned him a handful of assists. Really impressive defensively as well.
RW: Raheem Sterling – 8/10 – After fluffing the first effort for his goal, Sterling flashed his composure to thunder home the opener. Could have had a few more but struggled to beat the offside trap.
ST: Kai Havertz – 8/10 – Excellent. Some brilliant work to link midfield and attack, ripping Dortmund’s defence to shreds with his selfless movement. Unfortunate to see two strikes hit the post but deserved the good fortune that came with the retake of his penalty.
LW: Joao Felix – 7/10 – Buzzed around with real energy to combine with Havertz and Sterling. Not as impactful as the other two but still managed to cause plenty of problems.
Substitutes
Conor Gallagher (67′ for Felix) – 7/10 – Roared around with brilliant energy to disrupt Dortmund’s attempts to get back into the game.
Christian Pulisic (82′ for Sterling) – N/A
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (82′ for Kovacic) – N/A
Deniz Zakaria (87′ for Fernandez) – N/A
Manager
Graham Potter – 7/10 – Couldn’t even watch the second penalty, and given the pressure he’s been under, you can’t really blame him. Set Chelsea up perfectly to get their two-goal lead but perhaps a little too eager to protect that result, easing off the gas pedal and setting up a nervy finale.
Borussia Dortmund player ratings (4-1-4-1)
GK: Alexander Meyer – 6/10 – Some brilliant saves in the first half.
RB: Marius Wolf – 5/10 – Struggled to keep up with Chilwell and watched on as lots of Chelsea’s top chances came from his side.
CB: Niklas Sule – 5/10 – His limited speed was a massive problem here as Dortmund’s midfield pushed high and left him isolated against Sterling or Felix. Booked for timewasting in the first half.
CB: Nico Schlotterbeck – 5/10 – Stood off Sterling for the opener and almost marked his own goalkeeper instead. A strange series of decisions.
LB: Raphael Guerreiro – 5/10 – Kept James pressed back early on but lost his grip on that individual battle. Once James grew into things, he couldn’t keep up.
DM: Emre Can – 6/10 – Pressed with real energy but was almost left on an island at times in this lone midfield role.
RM: Julian Brandt – N/A – Forced off injured after just a few minutes.
CM: Jude Bellingham – 5/10 – Found it hard to exert his influence on the game. Got more involved as the clock ticked down but didn’t really muster up anything of note.
CM: Salih Ozcan – 5/10 – Tried to get on the ball but was swarmed by Kovacic and Fernandez.
LM: Marco Reus – 5/10 – A quiet evening. Looked second best against Chelsea’s agile defence.
ST: Sebastien Haller – 4/10 – Can’t fault his effort but Haller was so isolated up top. Never had a chance against Koulibaly and Fofana.
Substitutes
Giovanni Reyna (5′ for Brandt) – 5/10 – Buzzed around with energy but didn’t offer a whole lot.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (64′ for Ozcan) – 6/10 – Offered some nice threat after coming on.
Donyell Malen (77′ for Haller) – 5/10 – Accomplished very little.
Manager
Edin Terzic – 4/10 – Dortmund’s failed high press was ineffective and left their slow defenders exposed. Needed to introduce his speedy substitutes far earlier than he did.
Player of the match – Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Source: 90mins
