Tag: Chelsea

Chelsea roared back to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final in Wroclaw on Wednesday, becoming the first club to complete a clean sweep of European trophies.

Manuel Pellegrini’s enterprising Betis caught the favourites cold with an early goal from Abde Ezzalzouli against a flat-footed and listless Chelsea.

But Enzo Maresca’s second-half substitutions injected energy, and Cole Palmer changed the complexion of the game in a five-minute spell, setting up Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson to score.

Substitute Jadon Sancho made the game safe in the 83rd minute as the Spanish side faded in their first European final, and Moises Caicedo added gloss to the scoreline.

Chelsea are the first club to win the full set of five UEFA club tournaments — the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup and the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.

They have also won their first silverware since Todd Boehly’s consortium took over from former owner Roman Abramovich in 2022, following an era of unprecedented success for the club.

Boehly was on the pitch at the end, savouring the win that seemed unlikely when Betis were in control in the first half.

Chelsea have ended the season with a flourish after also securing a place in next season’s Champions League following a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League.

Maresca, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, said he hoped Conference League glory would be a launchpad for the club.

“The club have invested lots of money in the last three or four years, so they are also waiting for results,” Maresca told TNT Sports.

“Hopefully this can be a starting point and from tonight, from this season, (we are) building something important.”

The Spanish side went ahead in the ninth minute through Ezzalzouli, who scored the goal against Fiorentina that took his side to the final.

Malo Gusto lost the ball and it broke to Betis captain Isco, who produced a clever pass to find Ezzalzouli on the edge of the box, with the Moroccan drilling a left-footed shot across Filip Jorgensen.

Minutes later, Marc Bartra tried his luck from distance, but this time Jorgensen was equal to the task, producing a flying save.

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Urged on by their massed ranks of fans, Betis went close again when Johnny Cardoso’s shot from inside the box was deflected behind.

The Premier League side were enjoying the bulk of possession but struggling to create meaningful chances, with Betis defending well and Isco, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, pulling the strings.

Maresca brought on James for the struggling Gusto at the break, and the English side looked livelier.

Pellegrini was forced to make a change when goalscorer Ezzalzouli was forced off, with Jesus Rodriguez coming on to replace him.

Maresca also made a number of other changes, including bringing on Sancho, but it took two moments of magic from Palmer to turn the tide.

The England man produced a pinpoint inswinging cross from the right that found onrushing Argentina midfielder Fernandez, who got between two defenders to head the ball past Adrian in the 65th minute.

Suddenly, Chelsea’s tails were up and the fans behind the goal were in full voice.

Five minutes later, Palmer twisted and turned before producing another superb cross that Jackson bundled into the net. Jackson should have scored a second goal, but a heavy touch allowed the Betis goalkeeper to gather.

But Sancho made it 3-1 when he combined with fellow substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and finished from an angle, and Caicedo added a fourth from the edge of the box.

Victory for Chelsea breaks an astonishing cycle of wins for Spanish teams.

Taking into account World Cups, European Championships, Champions League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League, of the previous 27 men’s finals involving Spanish teams, all 27 had had Spanish winners.

Four Spanish club sides had been defeated in that time, but in all cases by fellow La Liga sides.

Earlier, the centre of Wroclaw was packed with fans from both clubs, with green-and-white clad Betis fans outnumbering their English rivals.

Poland’s Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said police made 28 arrests after supporters clashed in the city’s market square.

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be missing from the dug-out for their home match against Everton after being banned for one game by England’s Football Association for receiving three yellow cards, the BBC reported Monday.

The 45-year-old Italian was booked for his celebrations following Pedro Neto’s sublime goal in added time, which gave Chelsea a 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Victory propelled Chelsea into the fifth and final Champions League spot, above Nottingham Forest on goal difference.

Forest can go back above them if they avoid defeat against Tottenham later on Monday.

Maresca, whose two previous bookings this season were against Newcastle and Bournemouth, can return for the following game, also at home, against leaders Liverpool on May 4.

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Assistant manager and former goalkeeper Willy Caballero could replace him on the touchline for the Everton match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Enzo Maresca has endured stinging criticism from Chelsea supporters in recent weeks after a series of erratic performances marred by his conservative tactics.

But the hostility directed towards the Italian evaporated at Craven Cottage after Pedro Neto’s superb strike in stoppage time completed a stirring Chelsea fightback to keep alive their bid to qualify for the Champions League.

Neto’s bolt from the blue could prove a pivotal moment in Chelsea’s season, coming after 18-year-old Tyrique George hauled them level with his first Premier League goal in the 83rd minute.

Chelsea had been facing a damaging loss in the race for a top-five finish since Alex Iwobi blasted Fulham in front midway through the impressive first half.

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Erling Haaland scored a powering hat trick, including two goals in the first five minutes, and led Manchester City over Chelsea 4-2 on Saturday in an English club football friendly at Columbus, Ohio.

Reigning Premier League champion City scored goals 54 seconds apart in the first half and 71 seconds apart in the second half to dominate the fixture, part of a US pre-season tour for both clubs.

Haaland wore the captain’s armband and showed a crowd of 71,280 why he is considered among the world’s best players.

The 24-year-old Norwegian striker scored on a penalty kick in the fourth minute and, after a Moises Caicedo giveaway in the Chelsea half, smashed a right-footed shot into the right corner for a 2-0 City lead in the fifth minute — only 17 seconds after the restart.

Oscar Bobb boosted the lead to three in the 55th minute, taking the ball down the right wing and cutting inside to fire a left-footed shot past a defender and just inside the near post.

Haaland then completed his hat trick in the 56th minute after City forced a turnover in Chelsea territory.

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Erling Haaland took a pass at the top of the box between two defenders and flicked in a left-footed shot for a 4-0 City edge only 25 seconds after the restart.

Raheem Sterling answered for Chelsea in the 59th minute and Noni Madueke added a final goal in the 89th but it was too little and too late.

The game was a preview of the start of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign for both clubs. Manchester City will open the season against Chelsea on August 18.

In another pre-season US showdown of English giants, Liverpool blanked Manchester United 3-0 before 77,559 spectators at Columbia, South Carolina.

Fabio Carvalho, a 21-year-old Portuguese striker, opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 10th minute.

In the 36th minute, Egyptian striker Mo Saleh got to the backline and fired a perfect centring pass to onrushing Curtis Jones, who tapped in with his left foot for a 2-0 Liverpool lead.

Greek standout Kostas Tsimikas gave the Merseysiders a 3-0 edge in the 61st minute, knocking in a rebound off the left post.

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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez will miss the rest of the season after surgery on a groin injury on Thursday.

Fernandez has been suffering for several weeks with a hernia and struggled to make an impact during Tuesday’s 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal.

The 23-year-old Argentina star will be absent for Chelsea’s last six league games and it remains to be seen if he can recover in time for the Copa America in June.

Fernandez, a World Cup winner in 2022, is the latest Chelsea player to be hit with an injury setback in a dismal season for the Premier League club.

At times, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has had as many as 12 players unavailable, with his team languishing in ninth place as a result of their fitness and form issues.

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Their thrashing against Arsenal followed Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City at Wembley as the pressure mounts on Pochettino.

Fernandez, signed from Benfica for £107 million ($133 million) in January 2023, has made 28 league appearances this term, scoring three goals.

“Enzo Fernandez has today undergone successful surgery on a groin issue and will now begin a period of rehabilitation, sidelining him for the remainder of Chelsea’s 2023/24 season,” a club statement said.

“The 23-year-old midfielder will work with the club’s medical department on his rehabilitation at Cobham.”

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Kai Havertz and Ben White scored twice as Arsenal thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday to surge ahead in the Premier League title race and ramp up the pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City.

Leandro Trossard was also on target in a record win over Chelsea for the Gunners, who move three points clear of Liverpool and four of Manchester City.

The destiny of the title remains in City’s hands as the defending champions have two games in hand.

Liverpool have also played one fewer game than Arsenal and are in action at Everton in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday.

However, Mikel Arteta’s men’s goal difference advantage now looks unassailable should it become decisive in the title race.

“We have made our people very proud, it is a big derby for us and I know what it means,” said Arteta.

“We started the game really well but didn’t convert all our chances – we were a bit sloppy in certain areas of the pitch.

“In the second half, we were much more disciplined and created chances and were ruthless in front of goal.”

Chelsea and Arsenal’s title rivals were dealt a huge blow before kick-off as the Blues’ danger man Cole Palmer was ruled out due to illness.

Palmer has scored or assisted nearly 50 percent of Chelsea’s Premier League goals this season and his presence was badly missed by the visitors.

Despite enduring a disappointing first season under Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea had been unbeaten in eight consecutive league games prior to their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.

But they were blown away by an Arsenal side keen to reaffirm their title credentials after losing their last home game to Aston Villa.

“So difficult (a) result and performance (to accept) because it is not nice to see your team playing like this from the beginning of the game,” said Pochettino.

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“Today we didn’t compete against a team fighting for the Premier League. We need to be aware we need to compete in a different way.”

The hosts flew out of the blocks and were in front inside five minutes.

Trossard only ended up at the Emirates after Arsenal were gazumped by Chelsea in the battle to sign Mykhailo Mudryk in January 2023.

The Belgian has proved to be a far more productive signing and smashed in his 15th goal of the season at Djordje Petrovic’s near post.

Petrovic redeemed himself for a mistake at the opening goal with two brilliant saves to turn away Havertz’s low effort and a deflected shot by Trossard to keep his side in the game before half-time.

The Serbian briefly held Arsenal at bay early in the second period with saves from Declan Rice and Havertz.

However, the floodgates opened once White curled in Arsenal’s second after Chelsea failed to clear a corner on 52 minutes.

Havertz scored the winning goal in a Champions League final for Chelsea during his three years in west London, but he never performed consistently to the level he has found in recent months under Arteta.

Martin Odegaard’s stunning through ball was met with the finish it deserved as Havertz smashed high past Petrovic.

His next finish was more subtle as the German international fired in off the post from Bukayo Saka’s pass for his seventh goal in his last 14 club games.

A night for forget for Chelsea was summed up when White’s attempted cross flew into the top corner from another sensational Odegaard pass.

Defeat leaves Chelsea still in ninth, three points adrift of the European places.

Next up for Arsenal is what appears their toughest hurdle remaining away to Tottenham in Sunday’s North London derby.

Should Arteta’s side prevail at the home of their fiercest rivals, City will likely need to be perfect in their final six games to retain the title.

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Bernardo Silva fired Manchester City back into the FA Cup final as the Portugal midfielder’s late strike sealed the holders’ 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side were second best for long periods of the semi-final, but Chelsea wasted a string of chances before Silva delivered the knockout blow six minutes from full-time.

Shaken by their Champions League quarter-final loss against Real Madrid on penalties in midweek, City took a while to shake off the gloom from the end of their treble bid.

They were hampered by the absence of Norway striker Erling Haaland after he suffered a knock against Real, with Julian Alvarez unable to make an impact as his replacement.

City were bailed out by Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson’s profligacy and Guardiola will hope the hard-fought success provides a timely lift as they chase a Premier League and FA Cup double.

Manchester City face United or Coventry, who meet on Sunday, in the final on May 25 and will retain the Premier League title if they win their last six games.

It will be City’s 13th final in the competition and potentially a repeat of last year’s 2-1 win over United in the Wembley Manchester derby.

Beaten by Liverpool in the League Cup final in February, Chelsea’s wait to win their first domestic trophy since the 2018 FA Cup goes on for another season.

It was a bitter blow for Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has endured a difficult first season in charge and remains without silverware in England.

The semi-final was billed as in-form Chelsea forward Cole Palmer’s chance to punish his old club for selling him to the Blues in September.

Guardiola said Palmer was asking to leave City for two years before he eventually joined Chelsea, where he has scored 23 goals in all competitions this, including 11 in his last six games.

Palmer, who scored four times in Monday’s 6-0 rout of Everton, was a constant threat for Chelsea, but ultimately it was his team’s lack of killer instinct that proved decisive.

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Palmer’s pin-point pass sent Jackson racing into the City area early on, but his strike lacked the accuracy to beat Stefan Ortega in a miss that foreshadowed Chelsea’s fate.

Jackson wasted a golden opportunity to give Chelsea the goal their dominance deserved.

Enzo Fernandez’s pass split the City defence, but Jackson opted to go around Ortega rather than shoot and the chance was gone as Nathan Ake scurried back to clear.

Playing with more purpose and quality than City, Pochettino’s team threatened again as Palmer cleverly shimmied past Rodri for a low drive from 12 yards that was well saved by Ortega.

It was the first time lethargic Manchester City had failed to muster a first half shot on target since a game against Everton in February.

Jackson, in the midst of a terrible debut season, was put clean through on goal by Conor Gallagher immediately after the interval.

But the much-maligned striker’s shot was palmed away by Ortega, who clawed away a close-range header from Jackson seconds later.

City finally tested Djordje Petrovic through Phil Foden’s snap-shot, but the Serbian was equal to his powerful strike.

Chelsea appealed in vain for a penalty when Jack Grealish’s arm blocked Palmer’s free-kick, while Moises Caicedo was fortunate to escape a second booking for a crunching tackle that forced Grealish to limp off.

Grealish’s replacement Jeremy Doku drew an immediate save from Petrovic with a near-post blast.

Doku’s presence lifted Manchester City and the Belgian played a part as they stole the victory in the 84th minute.

Advancing with intent towards the Chelsea area, Doku slipped a pass to Kevin de Bruyne, whose low cross was pushed out by Petrovic to Silva for a close-range finish that deflected home as Guardiola punched the air in relief.

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Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel will seek to echo the spirit of 2021’s Champions League-winning run with Chelsea in Wednesday’s home quarter-final second leg against Arsenal. 

Bayern put aside their domestic struggles in the first leg, returning from London with a 2-2 draw, another Harry Kane goal against his old foes and the knowledge victory in Germany will see them through to the final four.

With Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen already in possession of the Bundesliga trophy, the Champions League is now the only focus for Tuchel’s Bayern.

Being able to concentrate only on Europe is a luxury few of the teams remaining in the Champions League have, particularly Arsenal who are in the midst of a tense Premier League title race.

Tuchel was free to make his focus on Europe obvious, making seven changes in Saturday’s hard-fought 2-0 home win over struggling Cologne.

Left out of the squad completely for the Cologne clash, captain Manuel Neuer and winger Leroy Sane were allowed to watch Saturday’s win from the comfort of the grandstand.

Bayern will however face Arsenal missing several first teamers.

Canada defender Alphonso Davies is suspended, while forwards Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman are injured.

Tuchel would not be drawn on who would replace Davies on Wednesday, telling reporters after Saturday’s win over Cologne he may “do something crazy”.

Asked if one of Bayern’s centre-backs could make the shift out to left-back, Tuchel said with a smile “No, we want to win.”

While not quite at the level of self-described “overthinker” Pep Guardiola, Tuchel is known for his flexibility and a penchant for being tactically reactive, a perfect fit for knockout football.

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Despite winning leagues in France and Germany, Tuchel’s teams have shone brightest in cup competitions.

He announced himself as Dortmund coach by winning the 2017 German Cup, dispatching Bayern 3-2 in Munich in the semi-final on the way to the first major title of his career.

His only Champions League season with Dortmund was impressive but failed due to circumstances beyond his control.

Tuchel’s Dortmund were unbeaten in the group phase, finishing ahead of eventual champions Real Madrid.

Their campaign came undone in a quarter-final against Monaco with the club forced to play a day after a bomb blast shattered the windows of the team’s bus.

Dortmund’s decision to play led to a rift between Tuchel and Dortmund which never healed and he was fired just days after his side lifted the German Cup.

At Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, he made the finals of both the major and minor domestic cup competitions.

In Europe, Tuchel took PSG to the Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern.

The next season as Chelsea boss, he took over a side in disarray in January after the firing of club legend Frank Lampard.

He steadied the ship and took Chelsea to the Champions League final, where they beat Guardiola’s heavily favoured Manchester City to win the title for the second time.

While plenty stands in the way of another Champions League triumph, including one more potential meeting with Guardiola’s City on the way, Tuchel could be just four games away from Wembley glory.

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LONDON: Manchester City seized control of the Premier League title race as Kevin De Bruyne inspired a crucial 4-1 rout of crumbling leaders Arsenal on Wednesday.

De Bruyne scored twice and set up John Stones’ goal before Erling Haaland capped the demolition at the Etihad Stadium as City showed why they have been champions four times in the last five seasons.

Pep Guardiola’s side have trailed unexpected pace-setters Arsenal for much of the campaign, but the Gunners have choked over the last month while battle-hardened City show no signs of being affected by the pressure.

Second placed City are now just two points behind Arsenal with two games in hand.

City will become champions for a third successive season if they win six of their last seven matches.

Few would bet against them after a blistering run of seven consecutive league victories reeled in Arsenal.

Unbeaten in their last 16 games in all competitions, City have won 13 of their past 14 games as they chase a remarkable treble.

They booked an FA Cup final date with Manchester United last weekend and face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.

“The connection between Kevin and Erling is extraordinary, today we tried to use it as much as possible,” Guardiola said.

“I know the next three games are really important. The reality is today we are two points behind Arsenal, they are in front of us.”

While City eye a memorable end to the season, Arsenal, who were eight points clear at the start of April, have failed to win any of their last four league games.

Arsenal’s third defeat against City in 2023 could prove the final blow to their hopes of winning the title for the first time in 19 years.

Mikel Arteta’s young team have lost their nerve at the worst possible time, with three successive draws, featuring a pair of blown two-goal leads, followed by their first loss in 11 league games.

“The better team won. They were probably at their best in the first half and we weren’t at our level. In terms of the basics we didn’t do it,” Arteta said.

“There’s still five games to go. I’ve been in this country 22 years and things change a lot.”

De Bruyne started the demolition in the seventh minute when he took Haaland’s deft pass and surged towards the Arsenal area before smashing a low strike past Aaron Ramsdale from 20 yards.

Stones rewarded City’s incessant pressure on the stroke of half-time when he headed in De Bruyne’s free-kick, with the goal awarded by VAR after initially being disallowed for offside.

– Record-breaker Haaland –

Imperious City were in complete control and De Bruyne put the result beyond doubt with another clinical finish from Haaland’s pass in the 54th minute.

Rob Holding smashed home in the 86th minute, but the defender’s goal was no consolation for reeling Arsenal.

With virtually the last kick of the game, Haaland slotted under Ramsdale for his 49th goal in all competitions this term and his 33rd in the league, beating Mohamed Salah’s record for a single 38-game Premier League season.

Chelsea crashed to a fifth successive defeat under Frank Lampard as their west London neighbours Brentford won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

In his second spell as Chelsea boss after replacing the sacked Graham Potter until the end of the season, Lampard has failed to spark a revival from his troubled team, who were booed off at full-time.

With former Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino reportedly close to taking charge, Chelsea are enduring their worst run since 1993 after their winless streak extended to eight games.

Cesar Azpilicueta’s 37th minute own goal and Bryan Mbeumo’s 78th minute strike left 11th placed Chelsea in danger of finishing in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1996.

“The fans feel down because they are used to success. We have to take it on the chin,” Lampard said.

Liverpool kept alive their slender hopes of a top four finish with a 2-1 win at West Ham.

The Hammers took a 12th-minute lead through Lucas Paqueta’s spectacular strike, only for Cody Gakpo to equalise from long-range five minutes later.

Joel Matip’s 67th minute header moved sixth placed Liverpool within six points of fourth placed Manchester United, who have two games in hand.

Nottingham Forest climbed out of the relegation zone as they beat Brighton 3-1 at the City Ground to win for the first time in 12 games.

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LONDON: Frank Lampard is set to return for a second spell in charge of Chelsea on an interim basis until the end of the season, according to reports on Wednesday.

Lampard, who was sacked earlier this season by Everton, was dismissed by Chelsea in 2021 after 18 months in charge.

Sky Sports and The Athletic reported that the club and Lampard are in advanced talks with an eye to the former England international being installed in time to take charge of Saturday’s trip to Wolves.

Chelsea sacked Graham Potter on Sunday after a disastrous run of form that has left the club 11th in the Premier League despite spending over £500 million ($623 million) on new players in their first season under new owners.

However, they are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and travel to defending champions Real Madrid for the first leg of their last-eight tie in seven days’ time.

Lampard was in attendance for Chelsea’s 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool on Tuesday and is the man the club’s American owners have turned to in hope of inspiring a short-term turnaround.

In 13 years as a Chelsea player, Lampard won three Premier League titles, the Champions League and remains the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.

The 44-year-old led Chelsea to fourth in the Premier League and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.

But he was sacked midway through his second season and Chelsea went on to win the Champions League that year under Thomas Tuchel.

Lampard helped keep Everton in the Premier League last season, but was sacked in January with the Toffees second bottom of the table.

Recently sacked Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and former Barcelona and Spain coach Luis Enrique are among the leading candidates to be appointed Chelsea’s next permanent manager.

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LONDON: Chelsea kept their season alive by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League 2-1 on aggregate on Tuesday.

Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz, with a twice-taken penalty, got the goals as the Blues relieved the pressure on manager Graham Potter.

The Englishman’s job was on the line after a season that has so far failed to deliver any return on a world-record injection of over £500 million ($600 million) in one season on new signings.

Chelsea had won just three of their previous 16 matches to fall to 10th in the Premier League and bow out early of both domestic cups.

But some of their expensive collection of stars showed up in time to remain in the hunt for a third European Cup.

“There was a fantastic feeling in the dressing room. We have been through a tough period and this competition means a lot for us,” said Potter.

“We wanted to progress and get into the last eight and it sets us up for the next few weeks.”

Dortmund arrived in England on the back of a 10-game winning run in all competitions.

But the visitors posed barely any attacking threat in the first half bar a Marco Reus free-kick that Kepa Arrizabalaga did brilliantly to palm to safety.

“We have to say, over the course of two games, Chelsea deserve to go through,” said Dortmund boss Edin Terzic.

“Both legs were very tight games. In this type of games inches and moments decide if you are going to the next round or not.”

Chances came and went frequently at the other end. Havertz smashed a volley off the inside of the post and then finally found the net via the underside of the bar only for the goal to be ruled out for an offside against Sterling earlier in the move.

The worst miss was to come as Kalidou Koulibaly miscued with an open goal from Ben Chilwell’s free-kick and Felix’s follow-up effort was blocked on the line.

Potter was uncharacteristically animated on the touchline as he constantly whipped the crowd up to keep pushing his side forward.

“There is a lot of emotion in the end,” added Potter. “It was tense in the end but the boys played fantastic.

“I am delighted for them to get the win and great for everyone here.”

The home fans finally had something to celebrate three minutes before half-time.

– Sterling comes good –

Sterling’s first attempt was another one to forget as he swiped and missed Chilwell’s low cross, but the England international composed himself to dribble past Reus and fire high into the net.

“I had a little mis-kick with the first touch but it landed perfectly and allowed us to build on that for our performance,” said Sterling.

That was just Chelsea’s third goal in the last eight games.

Havertz’s penalty early in the second half meant Potter’s men scored more than once for the first time since December 27, but the German international needed two spot-kicks to make his mark.

Marius Wolf was penalised for handling Chilwell’s cross after a VAR review.

Havertz’s first penalty came back off the post, but VAR came to Chelsea’s rescue once more as Dortmund were further punished for encroaching.

There was no second reprieve as Havertz coolly slotted the ball the same way, this time finding the corner of the net.

Chelsea’s spending spree may have ruled them out of the running for Jude Bellingham with the Dortmund midfielder expected to have his choice of Europe’s top clubs this summer.

But on his return to England, Bellingham missed Dortmund’s best chance to take the tie to extra-time when he side-footed wide from close range.