James OlleySenior Writer, ESPN FC3 minute read
Leboeuf: Kai Havertz impressive on Chelsea’s penalty resumption
Frank Leboeuf explains why Kai Havertz’s composure impressed him against Borussia Dortmund. (edited)
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham has called a ‘joke’ the penalty saved by Chelsea, who eliminated their side from the Champions League on Tuesday.
The second leg of the round of 16 at Stamford Bridge was well balanced at 1-1 on aggregate, with the Blues winning 1-0 on the night thanks to a Raheem Sterling goal when Ben Chilwell’s cross hit Marius Wolf’s hand at the start of the second period.
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Referee Danny Makkelle was sent to the monitor by VAR manager Pol Van Boekel to review the incident and then awarded a kick, which Kai Havertz missed hitting the post.
However, another VAR review revealed that several Dortmund players had encroached into the penalty area before Havertz kicked the ball in, prompting Makkelle to order a replay, which the Germany international converted to send his side into the quarter-finals. by an aggregate score of 2-1.
“I don’t know what more he can do with his hand,” Bellingham said after the match of the initial handball call. “That in itself was disappointing and the fact that they had a cover, I think is a joke.
“For every penalty, especially when you have such a slow run, there will be people encroaching into the box by about a yard. He made the decision and we have to live with it.”
Asked to elaborate on the refereeing, Bellingham added: “I don’t want to get in trouble. I paid them a lot.”
The result is a huge boost for under-fire Chelsea head coach Graham Potter, whose side, which have now recorded consecutive wins for the first time since October, sit 10th in the Premier League .
Potter endured criticism from a section of Chelsea fans and he said: “Inevitably in life you’re going to have bad times and good times. I don’t see any other way to look at it. is how you react to the bad times, take a step back and analyze it the right way.Things are never bad forever, but sometimes it was!
“My job is to help the team, to help the players, to prepare the team as best we can and to support them. They also suffered. No one enjoyed the run we had. That’s why today was important for us. We wanted to progress, and we did, so we are happy.