LONDON – Chelsea manager Graham Potter looked like the most relieved man in London on Tuesday night, as he punched the air and blew kisses into the crowd after his struggling side’s 2-1 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Chelsea fans, many of whom had booed him loudly as defeat followed defeat in recent weeks, cheered the team off the Stamford Bridge pitch after a goal by Raheem Sterling and a retaken penalty by Kai Havertz either side of half-time earned the team a 2-0 win on the night.

That turned a 1-0 deficit in the first leg in Germany into a ticket for the quarter-finals and kicked off celebrations that harked back to some of the Blues’ great nights in Europe’s top competition over the past 20 years.

For Potter, the victory was personal too.

“Inevitably in life, you are going to have bad times and you’re going to have good times,” he said when asked about how he felt after shouldering much of the blame for Chelsea’s bleak run of form that began as far back as October.

“Things are never bad forever, thankfully. But it felt like that sometimes.”

He also confirmed he had a quick post-match meeting with Chelsea’s American co-owner Todd Boehly, who had been all smiles in the stands, wrapped in a blue and white scarf.

“I’m still here,” he added about the outcome of the meeting, shrugging off with a laugh the speculation that his job was on the line depending on the result of Tuesday’s match.

It was the biggest win yet for Chelsea’s new owners, who would pay £4.25 billion (S$6.8 billion) in total for their purchase of the club in 2022.

Since then, the consortium has invested more than £500 million in new players, continuing the kind of lavish spending seen under the former owner of Stamford Bridge, Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, who was forced to relinquish ownership of the club after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Until Tuesday’s win, Boehly and the rest of the consortium had seen little return on their investment.

Chelsea have slumped to 10th place in the English Premier League, with their chances of reaching next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish all but gone, and the team were eliminated early in both of England’s knockout cup competitions.

The Blues struggled even to score during a miserable run of two wins in 15 games in all competitions that ended only last Saturday with a slim 1-0 league victory over struggling Leeds United.

Potter, who had to fill the big shoes of Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel when the German was fired last September, again told reporters after Tuesday’s win that his job had been made harder by a long list of injuries in late 2022.

But the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss went out of his way to praise the Chelsea fans, saying he understood their frustrations and appreciated the atmosphere they created in Stamford Bridge against Dortmund.

“Big thanks to the supporters. They were amazing tonight, they helped us on Saturday and they helped us this evening,” he said. “So it’s brilliant for everyone connected with the club.”

Dortmund arrived in London on the back of a 10-game winning streak, but they were largely kept at arm’s length, bar Marco Reus’ first-half free kick that forced Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga into a flying save.

The return from injury of defenders Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana has made a massive difference, with Chelsea claiming their fifth clean sheet in nine games.

“It’s not easy,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic on breaking Chelsea down.

“It’s not just that they spent money, they brought in some quality players. You can feel that they are always dangerous.” REUTERS, AFP