Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher react to Chelsea reaching Champions League last 16

Chelsea midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher have reacted to the Blues reaching the last 16 of the Champions League.

Having been top of Group E ahead of the clash against FC Salzburg, the west London side were able to beat their Austrian opponents 2-1 away from home.

Kovacic gave Chelsea the lead in the first half thanks to his superb left-footed strike from the edge of the area.

Salzburg equalised through Junior Adamu just minutes after the restart, but Kai Havertz was on hand to put the visitors back in front thanks to his curled effort into the top left corner.

Despite late pressure from the hosts, Graham Potter’s side were able to hold onto their lead and seal a crucial victory in the Champions League.

Such a result now sees them advance to the knockout stages of the competition, having not won their opening two games of the group.

After the match, both Kovacic and Gallagher spoke to BT Sport to share their thoughts on the result.

"Really happy, it was a really tough game,” said Gallagher.

“Everyone stuck to the task, gave our all, three points are massive. Happy to qualify."

When asked about his teammate’s goal, he added: "A great finish, I couldn’t believe it. To get that first goal was important, it gave us confidence in the game."

Kovacic’s goal was his first of the season for Chelsea, and the midfielder was at the heart of the action for the Blues once again in Austria.

"A little mistake from ourselves we concede, but we reacted well,” said the Croatian.

Kai Havertz scoring against FC Salzburg. (Alamy)

“Important win, important we are through."

The 28-year-old added: "A good game from the whole team, now we focus on the next one."

Chelsea have had to work hard this season to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League, having struggled at the beginning of the campaign.

The Blues fell to a shock defeat against Dinamo Zagreb on matchday one, before having to settle for a draw against Salzburg a week later.

However, they soon turned their continental form around and secured back-to-back wins against AC Milan at Stamford Bridge and the San Siro, with Tuesday night’s result therefore securing their progression to the knockout stages of the competition for the fourth season in a row.

The Blues are also still unbeaten in all competitions under Potter, with the trip to Salzburg being the head coach’s ninth match in charge.