'I'm still here,' says Potter after Chelsea beat Dortmund
2023-03-08 11:44Chelsea boss Graham Potter looked like the most relieved man in London as he punched the air and blew kisses to the crowd after his struggling side's 2-1 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday .
Chelsea fans, many of whom have booed Porter loudly amid one defeat after another in recent weeks, after Raheem Sterling 's goal and Kai Havertz 's re-converted penalty gave the Blues a 2-2 win on the night. Cheering for the team outside the stadium after a -0 win .
It turned Germany's 1-0 first- leg deficit into a ticket to the quarter-finals and kicked off celebrations reminiscent of some of Chelsea's best nights in Europe's top competition over the past two decades .
For Porter, the victory was also personal.
" Inevitably in life you have bad times and you have good times, " he was asked about Chelsea back in October.
" Thank God things never go bad forever. But sometimes it feels like that, " he said.
Potter confirmed he had a quick post-match meeting with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boley, who was all smiles in the stands, wrapped in a blue and white scarf.
" I'm still here, " Porter said of the meeting's outcome, laughing away from speculation that his job depends on the outcome of Tuesday's game.
It was the biggest win to date for Chelsea's new owners, who paid £ 4.25bn for the 2021 European champions last year .
" Big thanks to the supporters, they were great tonight"
Since then the consortium has spent more than £ 500m on new players , continuing the kind of extravagant spending that former Stamford Bridge boss, Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich , was forced to abandon the club following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year .
Before Tuesday's win, Todd Burleigh and the rest of the syndicate saw little return on their investment.
Chelsea slipped to 10th in the Premier League and their chances of progressing through the top four into next season's Champions League are all but gone, with the team knocked out early in both knockout cups in England.
The Blues' miserable streak of two wins in 15 games even ended with a narrow 1-0 win over struggling Leeds United on Saturday .
Porter, who had to take over from Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel 's big foot when the German was sacked last September , told reporters again after Tuesday's win that a long list of injuries at the end of 2022 made his job even harder .
But the former Brighton and Hove Albion coach went out of his way to praise the Chelsea fans, saying he understood their frustration and appreciated the atmosphere they created against Dortmund at Stamford Bridge.
" A big thank you to the supporters. They were great tonight, they helped us on Saturday and they helped us tonight, " Porter said. " So it's great for everyone involved with the club. "
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