Chelsea news: The Blues progressed to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 2-1 aggregate win over Bundesliga title-chasers Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea and Graham Potter did it. Against the odds, they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals and keep their 2022/23 season alive.
The scenes after the game between players, staff and spectators was a sight to behold. It almost provided a much-needed feeling of togetherness between Potter and the Chelsea fan base after such a difficult time for the 47-year-old.
Here are football.london's winners and losers in Chelsea's Champions League win.
WINNERS
The forward played a starring role in Sterling's opener by progressing towards Dortmund's goal before showing impressive hold-up play. He provided the tie's winning goal with a calm and cooled - and retaken - penalty to send Chelsea through.
The England international did an ultimate job at stretching Dortmund's defence and getting his side on the front foot. Sterling's ability to cause chaos amongst the likes of Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule got the jam-packed Stamford Bridge on their side and played a part in the victory.
While there are plenty of players who possibly deserve to be mentioned, Potter is the final winner from the win. The Chelsea boss has answered plenty of critics in the last two games and you could see the passion and relief in his face when the full-time was blown.
This result could play an enormous role in moulding Potter's reign at Chelsea. Continue this form in their upcoming games and the 47-year-old could be on for a winner.
LOSERS
Upon his return to England, Jude Bellingham suffered a disappointing evening. As well as his side crashing out of the Champions League, the midfielder missed a sitter at 2-0 down that would have brought Dortmund straight back into the tie.
With Todd Boehly watching on, the 19-year-old wasn't at his best in west London. His performance comes after reports from Italy claim his representatives had met with Real Madrid at a nearby hotel earlier in the day. He also provided a major scare to Chelsea fans late in the game with an awful challenge on Reece James. Luckily, the wing-back was okay.
From a Chelsea point-of-view, there were no losers. Every player that pulled on the shirt were accountable and put in a shift to see the game through.
PLAYER RATINGS
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6
Reece James - 6
Wesley Fofana - 6
Kalidou Koulibaly - 6
Marc Cucurella - 6
Ben Chilwell - 7
Enzo Fernandez - 5
Mateo Kovacic - 6
Joao Felix - 7
Raheem Sterling - 7
Kai Havertz - 6
Substitutes
Conor Gallagher - 6
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - N/A
Christian Pulisic - N/A
Denis Zakaria - N/A