Yet it was never going to be simple with this team. Goalscoring has been an issue for Chelsea all season and it had seemed their wasteful finishing would undermine them again. That they were better than Dortmund was not in doubt. But the question was whether Chelsea could make their superiority count and, as the misses piled up, it was hard not to wonder if it would be the same old story.
For once, though, Potter was a lucky manager. And deservedly so. Five days ago Potter seemed to be on the brink. Now Chelsea's owners will feel they were right to stand by their man. Potter has trusted in his coaching ability and Chelsea, who bossed Dortmund throughout, will feel anything is possible after reaching the Champions League quarterfinals thanks to goals from Havertz and Sterling.
The delay to kick-off, caused by Dortmund getting stuck in traffic, had no impact on Chelsea. They were straight into their tackles, Kalidou Koulibaly dispossessing Jude Bellingham, and made sure to feed off the crowd's energy.
It was never going to be a quiet evening. In fact it was an occasion when the fans had to stay with Potter and the early signs were positive: Chelsea alert and intense, the pace blistering, the best thing about Dortmund seemingly the yellow smoke billowing from the away end.
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