Chelsea boss Graham Potter has revealed his delight over his ‘fantastic’ Blues players after they extended their unbeaten run with a Champions League win against RB Salzburg.
The west London side sealed their qualification for the last 16 of the competition with a 2-1 victory away at their Austrian hosts.
Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz both netted superb goals to help seal the win, despite Salzburg scoring one themselves through Junior Adamu.
Such a result means Chelsea have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the fourth season in a row.
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They are also still unbeaten under Potter after nine games, with the head coach guiding the side to impressive results since his arrival in September.
Following the result, the 47-year-old shared his thoughts on the Blues’ performance against Salzburg.
“It’s not easy to win here as you can see from the record they have and the quality of the team,” he said via football.london.
“We had to play well and I thought we did. We created some good chances in the first half and were unlucky not to go more than 1-0 up.
"Then one action, with the quality at this level, and it’s 1-1. I thought our response was really good then so I am delighted to go through, delighted with the performance of the players: I thought they were fantastic tonight.
“To go through with a game to spare is brilliant considering where we started the competition.”
Before his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Potter had never competed in the Champions League.
The Europa League was the highest level he reached in European football prior to joining Chelsea, having coached Ostersunds in the tournament back in the 2017/18 season.
He was asked about what it has been like to compete in the Champions League, and said: “It’s a top competition.
“It’s amazing and fantastic to be involved in, a real test against some fantastic team and a great experience coming to these venues and experiencing an away match in the Champions League.
“It’s tough and challenging, but I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Chelsea will play one final group stage game in the Champions League next week when they host Dinamo Zagreb.
The Blues have already finished top of Group E, with their wins against AC Milan proving to be the deciding factor.
Potter and his side will play five more games before they break for the World Cup in November.
Topics: Chelsea, Graham Potter, Red Bull Salzburg, Champions League
Robert Calcutt