Graham Potter had never managed in the Champions League before. But the Englishman is making Europe’s toughest competition look easy as his Chelsea side cruised to a 2-0 win over ten man AC Milan in Italy.
Having picked up seven points from three Champions League matches, Potter has rapidly implemented his plans onto this Chelsea squad. They looked sharp last week at Stamford Bridge, and it was more of the same tonight, even if an early, and harsh, Fikayo Tomori red card tipped the scales in the away team’s favour.
Remember this is a manager that was overlooked for the Manchester United job because of his lack of Champions League experience. Well he’s now unbeaten in three in the competition, and has defeated Milan home and away without conceding a single goal. He’s also two from two in the league since taking the Stamford Bridge job.
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With every game against one of Europe’s elite, Potter improves. All we have heard is positives from former Brighton and Swansea players about him, and now any early fears about his ability to deal with big names have faded away.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, exiled at Arsenal for his poor attitude, has found a purple patch under Potter and was on target again in San Siro. He has given Chelsea that cutting edge and their defensive solidity has now seen them keep three consecutive clean sheets.
It’s easy to forget that Chelsea were bottom of Group E after two gameweeks, but now after back-to-back wins over the Italian champions, they are sitting pretty at the top of the table. Potter is making it all look a bit easy isn’t he?
This performance and result was done under immense pressure as a packed crowd in one of the finest stadiums in Europe demanded a performance from their side. But all the pre-match promise evaporated as Tomori was harshly sent off just 19 minutes into the match.
Former Blue Fikayo Tomori sees red inside 20 minutes giving Chelsea a chance to go 1-0 up from the penalty spot... 🟥
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The England centre-back, who has hopes of appearing at the World Cup next month, was chasing back as Mason Mount got in, and as he tried to impose himself on his countryman, he pulled his shoulder back slightly. That was enough for the referee to point to the spot and give Tomori a red card, as he made no attempt for the ball.
If the man in the middle thought it was a foul, then he had to send him off by the letter of the law, but it seemed awfully harsh on first, second and third viewing. But Chelsea made the most of the luck they were given and from that moment, the tie was over, which is where the Blues deserve huge credit.
Jorginho made no mistake from the spot to put the visitors ahead but once again the referee had spoiled what was set to be a crunch clash between two of Europe’s finest. Milan tried to fight back and should have levelled after a superb break when Brahim Diaz whipped one into Olivier Giroud and he somehow missed a header from six-yards out.
But Potter’s Chelsea don’t seem to let teams off the hook. Just when the crowd were back onside, the Blues struck again. An incisive passing move saw Mason Mount play through Aubameyang and he slotted home to double the away sides’ lead with a clinical finish.
The only negative for Chelsea and England came as Reece James was forced off through injury, the severity of which is yet to be determined. They say a week is a long time in football and in that time, Chelsea have gone from bottom to top of their Champions League group. Potter will be delighted with how his new side have responded to his demands.
