Graham Potter came through in time to steer his long-suffering side to a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund to seal their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Understandably the much-needed morale-boosting victory over the Bundesliga side could have a profound influence on the future of the heavily-beleaguered Blues boss, not to mention the reputation of Todd Boehly’s ownership.
Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz delivered the goalscoring honors for the Blues as they recovered from a 1-0 first-leg defeat at the Signal Iduna Park three weeks ago to seal their place in the quarter-finals.
This decisive victory definitely eases any additional pressure off Potter after he had been heavily scrutinized over his future after the Blues’ 2-0 defeat to Tottenham two weeks ago. Notably this is the first time Chelsea have won back-to-back games since October.
Emotions amongst the Chelsea players, staff and supporters ran riot after referee Danny Makkelie’s full-time whistle, fully reflecting the significance of the result to the club. And footage revealed post-match the tell-tale reactions of co-owner Boehly inside the tunnel as he greeted Potter.
The co-owner had been patiently waiting in the Stamford Bridge tunnel for Potter to return from media duty and was seen beaming with broad smiles as he shook the latter’s hand and offered the Chelsea boss a hug. This could bode well for Pottter despite claims of demands to terminate ties with the former Brighton gaffer.
The understanding now is that Potter has continued to retain the support of the club ownership over the tricky period, according to football.london. In support of that contention, Boehly himself has previously gone on record to underline his ambitions to build a project at Stamford Bridge and not simply jump ship at the first signs of impending rough seas.
Despite rapidly-vanishing hope of securing a top four place in the Premier League, securing passage to the quarter-final of the Champions League serves to keep Chelsea’s 2022/23 season alive. At least Potter can now continue to cherish dreams of replicating Thomas Tuchel’s massive Champions League trophy honors over the course of the following weeks.