B Dortmund 1 – 0 Chelsea

Karim Adeyemi’s fine separate goal for Borussia Dortmund means Chelsea have a 1-0 deficit to overcome after the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

Graham Potter’s side had the better of the chances amid a raucous atmosphere in Germany but Thiago Silva had a goal disallowed for handball and Joao Felix hit the crossbar when well placed. Ademeyi’s solo run punished his previous profligacy after the hour mark.

It is cruel in Chelsea given the performance. After being behind, he equalized and went close when Kalidou Koulibaly fired a fierce shot off the line by Emre Can. But now they have to come from behind at Stamford Bridge to progress.

Last night’s defeat means Chelsea have now won just once in nine games since the turn of the year and although Potter will be encouraged by some watching, it is further proof that this team can still find a way to win.

The Chelsea boss said BT sports: “The guys have been fantastic in their work, but at the moment, we are suffering in terms of results. But the performance was a big step forward for us tonight.

“It’s half-time. We have to regroup and take the game at Stamford Bridge.”

How Dortmund won last night

The relaxed restrictions of the summer which previously required temporary seats to be installed in the spacious Sudtribune for European competition meant that the knockout stages of the Champions League were treated to the full Dortmund experience.

The terrace was packed more than an hour before kick-off, boos boos greeted the Chelsea players for the warm-up let alone the game itself. With confidence fragile, cohesion still young, it was a tough test for Potter’s team.

He played on the counter attack in the first half but there were chances. Thiago Silva had a goal disallowed for a handball from Reece James’ left-wing free-kick before Joao Felix spurned two good chances to give Chelsea a half-time lead.

The first to see a measured shot fly over the line. The second, on his weaker left foot, came back off the crossbar which had been set up by Kai Havertz. Along with the speedy Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea looked strong with space to run but could not be counted out.

Dortmund, for all the possession of the first half, had no clear problem for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Sebastien Haller’s shot at a close angle. Captained by the aggressive Jude Bellingham, they offered enough to keep the crowd going.

The game came to a standstill in the second half, Chelsea controlling and trying the goalkeeper through James, while Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez had their efforts blocked. Like the momentum with him, he was seen behind by Adeyemi.

One-on-one with Fernandez, he outpaced the retreating midfielder and rounded Kepa before slotting into the net. The sound inside the stadium was incredible. The Chelsea players looked shocked. It became an unfortunate habit.

Dortmund were jittery afterwards when the away side tried to fashion an equalizer, Fernandez forced a fine save from the excellent Gregor Kobel from the corner of the box. But Chelsea supporters in the stadium were left as the team failed to score.

Speaking the night before about the relationship between resources and results, Potter had observed that the beauty of football is that two plus two does not always equal four in this game. Now, Chelsea continue to look short of the sum of their valuable parts.

Potter: It was a poor goal, but we were the better team

“Overall, we were happy with the performance for a large part of the game,” said the Chelsea boss.

“It’s complicated away from home in the Champions League, a hostile environment against a team at a good moment. In the second half, two of one action determined where we didn’t do well enough, I thought we were the better team.”

Chelsea had been the dominant force in the second half when caught on the counter-attack. “Sometimes you can feel comfortable in a game but you never feel comfortable at this level,” added Potter.

“It was a bad goal. We have to do better, when we pushed, a better team. So to admit it in that way, we are all disappointed. The players are honest, we can do better. We have to help. But we should focus on the positive.

“The attitude is really good as a group. The spirit is in the team. We just need a bit more luck, carry on with our performance and keep improving.

“Hopefully, we can improve and take the game to Stamford Bridge.”

Analysis: ‘Everything but the goal’

“Chelsea have everything but the goal,” said Clinton Morrison Special football.

“He’s really good and there’s a lot of positives for Graham Potter, but he can’t put the ball in the back of the net.

“They have bought a lot of players, but not an unbeatable number 9. Chelsea will return to London disappointed with the result, but Potter will be happy with the performance. cutting edge in the final third.

“Joao Felix may have come with the match ball the other night, but on the other hand, Karim Adeyemi from Dortmund is hot property. There will be many big clubs in England and all over Europe looking at him. He has achieved a lot. quickly and he causes Chelsea have a lot of problems. The goal was incredible.”

Opta Stats – No shots on target in the first half

• Borussia Dortmund enjoyed their first win against an English team in the UEFA Champions League since September 2014 against Arsenal (2-0), ending a run of nine matches against an English club without a win in the competition (D1 L8).
• Earlier this season, Chelsea had been knocked out of each of their last three UEFA Champions League knockout matches when losing the first leg, last progressing in the 2013-14 quarter-finals against PSG.
• It was the first UEFA Champions League match of the season to go without a shot in the first half, although both sides combined for 16 shots before half-time (Borussia Dortmund 11, Chelsea 5).

What’s next?

Chelsea are back in the Premier League on Saturday evening when they host bottom club Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

There are other Premier League games against Tottenham and Leeds before Chelsea welcome Dortmund for the return leg on March 7.