After the Blues had a 1-0 defeat in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg with Borussia Dortmund, their head coach Graham Potter said his players “need to do better” at defending counter-attacks.
“It is a counter-attack from a corner. We were close to scoring ourselves. They broke on us. It is disappointing and we need to do better. Apart from that, we were really, really good — we just have to score.”
“You have to keep working. The boys have been fantastic with their work, but we are still suffering at the moment”, he said.
Chelsea, who had a new-look XI for the Champions League after a busy January transfer window and the return of some injured players, looked strong in the first half and saw Joao Felix miss some goal opportunities, leaving a goalless first half.
However, Adeyemi came in for Dortmund midway in the second half, picking up the ball at midfield, outrunning his marker, round Kepa Arrizabalaga, and scoring to take the final lead.
Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel saved a ball from Enzo Fernandez in stoppage time to
Chelsea and Dortmund will meet again on March 7 at Stamford Bridge for the second leg.
Dortmund captain Jude Bellingham said: “We dominated the first half. They had chances, but we were in control for the majority of the first half. In the second half we took the foot off the gas and they had more control. We showed how well we can defend and see out games.”
“It’s a poor goal. We have to do better. We were pushing at the time and we were the better team,” Potter said after the game. “They [players] know they can do better with that. But we will focus on the positives. It was another step forward for us.
“The spirit is there in the team. We need a bit of luck and the performance level we had tonight and just keep improving.”