Twenty one shots, eight on target, no goals and another defeat. It was a familiar story for Chelsea on Wednesday as they showed a lack of a cutting edge in the final third on their way to defeat by Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
The Blues had enough chances to win the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie – and win it comfortably – but poor finishing, great saves and the woodwork conspired against them. There has, understandably, been plenty of scrutiny focused on Graham Potter since he became Chelsea boss in September, but even his biggest critics must sympathise with him after this loss.
Against a Dortmund side who had won every game they had played so far in 2023, the visitors were the better side for large periods, but as chances came and went before Karim Adeyemi broke to score a brilliant solo goal for the hosts, it must have felt like luck had once again deserted Potter and Chelsea. “Overall we were pleased with the performance for big parts of the game,” said Potter.
“It was an even first half, we managed the game quite well and had some good opportunities. In the second half, apart from the decisive action where we didn’t do well enough, I thought we were the dominant, better team. “We need a bit of luck maybe in the final execution and I think we deserved a goal. We have to keep going. It is half-time and we look forward to Stamford Bridge.”
