Graham Potter Speaks On Kai Havertz Penalty Miss

Chelsea secured their spot in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. The game saw Kai Havertz, who was Jorginho’s replacement, miss his first penalty but he scored from the retaken spot-kick to put Chelsea in front.

Speaking after the match, Chelsea boss Graham Potter admitted his side had enjoyed a ‘little bit of luck’ and that he knew Borussia Dortmund had encroached. Marius Wolf was harshly penalised for handball, leading to Havertz’s first penalty.

“Not a massive amount, to be honest, I knew they’d encroached,” Potter told BT Sport. “We got a little bit of luck there.”

When asked why he allowed Kai Havertz to take the important penalty again despite missing the first one, Potter said, “It was him or Reece, to be honest… Obviously, we’ve got confidence in Kai, even though he missed one.”

From doubters to believers seems to be Graham Potter’s hope for his Chelsea side as the Blues are finally regaining their lost mojo back in competitions. It started with a narrow win over the weekend in the Premier League against Leeds United, with confidence built in that game and carried through into the Champions League.

The West London side went into the fixture looking like quite the underdog team but managed to do the job and secure a berth in the Champions League quarter final against all odds, and against one of the in-form sides in Europe this season.

Chelsea’s win and progression into the Champions League quarter final makes them the first Premier League club this season to progress into the quarter final at this moment, with results from Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City still in the balance.

However, premier league fans can breathe a sigh as Chelsea brings back the league’s dignity with their victory against Borussia Dortmund.