Sterling hails 'massive performance' by Chelsea to reach Champions League quarter-finals

A 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund overturns the first-leg deficit and eases the pressure on manager Graham Potter

Raheem Sterling scores the opening goal for Chelsea against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last-16 second-leg at Stamford Bridge. AFP

Raheem Sterling said he was always confident Chelsea would overturn their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund after the Blues secured a 2-0 win on Tuesday night to advance to the quarter-finals.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Chelsea deservedly claimed the victory at Stamford Bridge which sent them through to the last eight, with Sterling levelling the tie just before half time and Kai Havertz scoring the winner from the penalty spot at the second attempt eight minutes after the break.

Havertz saw his first penalty rebound off the post but referee Danny Makkelie, following a VAR consultation, ordered it to be retaken after Dortmund players encroached the area. The German made no mistake the second time, placing his shot in the same direction but this time tucked the ball inside the post.

It was the sort of good fortune, Sterling said, has been lacking for Chelsea this season.

"It was a massive performance. We had to dig deep," the England international said. "We took our chances and recently we just haven’t had the luck. Tonight, we felt it as a team, we knew we could do it. Kai did it for us in the end.

"I have seen Kai shoot penalties all the time in training, and I was so confident in him, and he knew exactly what he was doing and I knew he would put it in the back of the net."

Sterling's goal was his 27th in the Champions League. The 27-year-old forward collected Ben Chilwell's cross inside the Dortmund area but a poor first touch almost ended the move. However, he kept the chance alive under pressure before lashing the ball into the roof of the net.

"I miskicked it and didn’t have a great first touch, but it landed perfectly for me and that set us on our way to build on the performance," Sterling said.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter heaped praise on his players after a "fantastic evening" at Stamford Bridge.

Potter, appointed last September, has been under increasing pressure amid a domestic season which sees Chelsea languish in mid-table in the Premier League. A scrappy 1-0 victory over Leeds United last Saturday was only the Blues' second win in their past nine league games, but now with two successive wins, confidence and optimism is higher than they were just a week ago.

Chelsea v Dortmund player ratings

The win over Dortmund, who entered the game on a 10-match winning run, was also the first time Chelsea had scored two goals in a game since beating Bournemouth by the same score on December 27.

"It was a fantastic atmosphere, a fantastic evening," Potter said. "The players were tremendous, the supporters were tremendous. It’s a fantastic result on such a big night and I’m just so proud of the players.

"We played really well and we created a lot of good opportunities. I think over the two games we did enough to win the tie, but we still had to get the job done, which we did.

"I’m just delighted for the players that we could get the win and thrilled for everyone here in the stadium tonight. It was a special night and I’m really pleased that the supporters could enjoy a night like that. A big thanks to them, they were amazing.

"It was a passionate evening. Stamford Bridge was rocking, and our performance helped that. We pressed high, we won tackles, we were organised, and we played some decent stuff against a top team. We’re really happy to go through."