Kai Havertz hailed the impact Thomas Tuchel had on his career, with the new Bayern Munich boss having coached the Germany international at Chelsea.

Tuchel, who was announced as Bayern's coach following the shock sacking of Julian Nagelsmann last week, took charge of the Blues between January 2021 and September last year.

The German guided Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, with Havertz scoring the first-half winner in a 1-0 victory over fellow Premier League side Manchester City.

Speaking to The Guardian on Tuchel's influence, he said: "Tuchel gave me a different idea of football. 

"Every detail counts, every centimetre, how you touch the ball, how you control, where you pass, which foot, movement, creating spaces: he's just top level. 

"To come and win the Champions League in six months says it all.

"My brother and I used to watch every Champions League game and to hold the trophy with your family on the pitch was such a relief. 

"I scored this goal, I can be happy. I made my childhood dream come true."

Chelsea remain in this year's competition after overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit to Borussia Dortmund with a 2-0 home win at Stamford Bridge. 

Havertz scored the crucial second goal from the penalty spot and his side now face reigning champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

"The ambition is still there," Havertz said about Chelsea's Champions League aspirations this campaign. 

"In the league, we are not very good and we feel for the fans but against Dortmund, the atmosphere was the best I have seen. You feel the excitement. 

"The Premier League is big and winning it may be even more difficult but the Champions League is different. Hearing that anthem, playing at night, it's special."

Despite progress in the Champions League, Tuchel's successor Graham Potter sees his side sit tenth in the Premier League and 11 points off a top-four position heading into the final stage of the season.

Regardless of the pressure on Potter and the new singings brought in as part of an ambitious January spending spree, Havertz believes all of them will thrive at the club given time to develop. 

"Potter is very good for Chelsea even though he gets criticism; in the changing room, everyone knows his qualities.

"Enzo [Fernandez] and [Mykhaylo] Mudryk have come for a lot of money and they're only 22, you know? You cannot expect them to be Neymar straight away. It's like me: it takes time."

Kai Havertz and Nico Schlotterbeck have withdrawn from Germany's squad for Tuesday's friendly with Belgium.

Both players started Saturday's 2-0 win over Peru, but the German Football Association (DFB) confirmed on Sunday they have now returned to their clubs.

Chelsea attacker Havertz is ruled out of the Belgium match through illness, while Borussia Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck has a thigh injury.

Germany head coach Hansi Flick has decided against calling up any replacements for the friendly at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne.

Belgium, who beat Sweden 3-0 in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday, will be without Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois due to a minor strain injury.

Germany's first game following their World Cup disappointment ended in a routine 2-0 friendly victory over Peru, though Kai Havertz faltered from the penalty spot.

Hansi Flick's team bowed out in the group stage in Qatar, but began their preparations for Euro 2024 in convincing fashion on Saturday.

Niclas Fullkrug's double had put Germany into a commanding lead in Mainz by the time Havertz hit the upright with a 75th-minute spot-kick.

His finish on the rebound was disallowed due to no other player touching the ball, though it was merely a small blot on an otherwise accomplished Germany display.

Havertz and Fullkrug were rare bright sparks from the World Cup, and it was the duo who combined for the opening goal on Saturday when the latter finished crisply from the Chelsea forward's knockdown.

Having just denied Matthias Ginter, Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese could not keep out Fullkrug's crisp finish after Havertz had chested the ball into the striker's path.

Germany seemed certain to be 2-0 up when Havertz and then Timo Werner had acres of space to shoot from close range, yet Gallese's superb double save kept them at bay.

Gallese was helpless to prevent Fullkrug tucking home his second just after the half-hour – the striker turning in from Marius Wolf's excellent cross.

Luis Advincula's block denied Fullkrug a third before the break, while Serge Gnabry struck the crossbar with an audacious overhead attempt on the hour mark.

Nico Schlotterbeck had a valid penalty appeal dismissed soon after, but referee Maria Ferrieri Caputi changed her decision after consulting the pitchside monitor.

Havertz failed to capitalise, with much of the crowd seemingly unaware as to why exactly his finish at the second attempt had been disallowed, though Peru never looked likely to make Germany rue that ruling.

Chelsea forward Kai Havertz is enjoying some strong form once again, but he revealed the mental toll this season has taken on himself and those around him.

The Germany international has made 22 starts from Chelsea's 26 Premier League fixtures this campaign, having only scored 27 goals as a team.

It has resulted in a pressure-packed season as boss Graham Potter fights for his job, and while Havertz's own production has not taken too much of a hit, the weight of a disappointing season has taken its toll.

After eight goals and four assists in 29 league appearances last season, Havertz has tallied six goals and one assist this time around, but had only one goal in his past 10 prior to finding the back of the net against Leicester City in Saturday's 3-1 win.

"Football is our life," Havertz told reporters. "If you lose a game, of course you don’t have an easy life as well. 

"I think everyone at home, especially my girlfriend, has had some tough weeks as well in the last weeks and months. I think she is happy now again and so am I.

"For you [journalists], it is the same – if you have a bad day at work… you… I won’t say the word now but you don’t feel good. Football is a game where we have a lot of pressure on our shoulders.

"We want to make the fans happy and if you don’t make them happy then you don’t have a good time."

But things have begun to swing back the other way, with Havertz coming off a goal in consecutive games as he put one past Borussia Dortmund to help Chelsea advance in the Champions League, before another strong performance against Leiceister.

"Winning is always the best, we won again so we can enjoy some days," he said. "We knew it was going to take some time to adapt for everyone. So maybe, you could see that we are still not finished. 

"It will always take time to develop. We can develop a lot but we showed another good performance [at Leicester] and we can be happy.

"Of course, to win three games in a row is important for us because we had a tough time before that. We knew we would bounce back. 

"We still have a game to play [at home to Everton] before the [international break for the] national team. We have to keep our focus high and win the next game as well."

Borussia Dortmund chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke has accused referee Danny Makkelie of arrogance over his penalty call in the club's Champions League exit to Chelsea.

The Bundesliga side slipped out of Europe after failing to build on their 1-0 first-leg advantage at Stamford Bridge, with a 2-0 defeat on the night meaning a 2-1 aggregate loss to their Premier League hosts.

Chelsea's ultimate winner came from a Kai Havertz penalty, but only when Makkelie allowed the forward to retake it due to encroachment after he missed his first attempt.

Watzke however felt the Dutch referee was guilty of arrogant behaviour in his decision-making, and suggested he was too easily swayed from his gut decisions by a boisterous home atmosphere.

"You always had the bad feeling that he wanted to be the most important man on the pitch," he told SID.

"His gestures, his facial expressions, he really liked [to perform to the crowd].

"Instinct was a foreign word to him. We lost control of the game too early, and congratulations to Chelsea. They deserve to go through.

"But the decision to retake the penalty was very controversial and the original call itself was a 50-50 decision. There's no question about that at all."

Chelsea were originally awarded the penalty after VAR intervened over a handball offence from Dortmund defender Marius Wolf.

Havertz hit the right post with his first attempt, but Makkelie allowed him to retake it after replays showed players from both teams encroached into the box.

Watzke was far from the only Dortmund figure to express their discontent with the decision, with Jude Bellingham also voicing his frustration after the game.

Borussia Dortmund chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke has accused referee Danny Makkelie of arrogance over his penalty call in the club's Champions League exit to Chelsea.

The Bundesliga side slipped out of Europe after failing to build on their 1-0 first-leg advantage at Stamford Bridge, with a 2-0 defeat on the night meaning a 2-1 aggregate loss to their Premier League hosts.

Chelsea's ultimate winner came from a Kai Havertz penalty, but only when Makkelie allowed the forward to retake it due to encroachment after he missed his first attempt.

Watzke however felt the Dutch referee was guilty of arrogant behaviour in his decision-making, and suggested he was too easily swayed from his gut decisions by a boisterous home atmosphere.

"You always had the bad feeling that he wanted to be the most important man on the pitch," he told SID.

"His gestures, his facial expressions, he really liked [to perform to the crowd].

"Instinct was a foreign word to him. We lost control of the game too early, and congratulations to Chelsea. They deserve to go through.

"But the decision to retake the penalty was very controversial and the original call itself was a 50-50 decision. There's no question about that at all."

Chelsea were originally awarded the penalty after VAR intervened over a handball offence from Dortmund defender Marius Wolf.

Havertz hit the right post with his first attempt, but Makkelie allowed him to retake it after replays showed players from both teams encroached into the box.

Watzke was far from the only Dortmund figure to express their discontent with the decision, with Jude Bellingham also voicing his frustration after the game.

Jude Bellingham labelled the refereeing in Borussia Dortmund's Champions League defeat at Chelsea a "joke", though he warned he would not talk himself into another fine.

Dortmund took a 1-0 lead to Stamford Bridge for the second leg on Tuesday after Karim Adeyemi's goal at Signal Iduna Park gave them the advantage in the round of 16 tie.

But Raheem Sterling equalised on aggregate in the 43rd minute, before Marius Wolf was adjudged to have handled Ben Chilwell's cross in the Dortmund box from close range shortly after the break.

Kai Havertz hit the post with his initial penalty, but a retake was ordered after a Dortmund player allegedly encroached, with Havertz making no mistake with the second spot-kick by sending Alexander Meyer the wrong way as Chelsea held on to dump Dortmund out.

Bellingham, who was fined €40,000 (£35,665) by the German Football Association (DFB) in 2021 for criticising referee Felix Zwayer, was unhappy with both the decision to award a penalty and the ruling of a retake, blaming Havertz's run-up for his team-mates edging into the area.

"From where I was it looked like he was pretty close and I'm not sure what more he can do with his hands," Bellingham told BT Sport. "It's a yard or two away.

"I don't want to get in trouble, I've paid enough to them lot.

"That in itself was disappointing, and then the fact they've had a retake I think is a joke. For every penalty, especially when you have such a slow run-up, there's going to be people encroaching into the box by a yard or so.

"But that's the game I suppose, he's made a decision and we have to live with it."

Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic was keen to focus on his team's shortcomings rather than blame the referee, though he also felt it was a tight call that went against his side.

"I'm responsible for the performance of our team and my performance," Terzic said. "I don't want to talk about the referee.

"It's now the third time your [media] colleagues are asking me the question. I think it was a tight call and a harsh decision but that's how it goes."

Despite the defeat, Terzic was proud of his players and pointed to Chelsea's huge spending in the transfer market as evidence of his team competing at the top level.

"Fair play to Chelsea and congratulations," Terzic added. "It was two very tight games and in the end, inches decide whether you go to the next round or not.

"We have enough quality in the team and that's the good thing. These two games, this is what we want. We don't want to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market, we want to compete with Chelsea on the matchday and I think we did it twice."

Raheem Sterling had full confidence in Kai Havertz's ability to convert a penalty at the second time of asking, even if Chelsea boss Graham Potter could not bring himself to watch.

Havertz needed two stabs at a second-half penalty against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday but kept his nerve on the retake to send the Blues into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win.

The Germany international hit the post with his first attempt, but referee Danny Makkelie ordered the spot-kick to be retaken after the VAR adjudged Salih Ozcan to have encroached before Havertz struck the ball.

On his second attempt, Havertz sent the ball the same way as on his first, though this time found the bottom-right corner.

Havertz conceded he was nervous stepping up to the spot for a second time, Sterling – who opened the scoring just before half-time at Stamford Bridge – had no doubt in his team-mate.

Asked if he considered putting himself forward to take over spot-kick duties, Sterling told BT Sport: "The second time definitely, but I've seen Kai shoot penalties so many times in training and bro, I was so confident.

"Even though he missed the first one, he knew exactly what he was doing, he was confident and we knew he was going to put it in the back of the net."

It was perhaps not the same for Chelsea coach Potter, who was unable to bring himself to watch Havertz's second attempt.

"After the first one, I stood up and watched it. So I said 'no, I’m going to sit down now'. Just listened to the crowd and thankfully the noise was there," Potter said on BT Sport.

Asked how much he knew of the controversial decision to award a retake, Potter said: "I knew they’d encroached – our assistant, who's better than the rules than me, explained it. So we got a little bit of luck there, I guess."

While he might not have had the nerve to watch the second spot-kick, Potter was full of admiration for Havertz.

He added: "It was him or Reece [James], to be honest. Sometimes they have to feel it on the pitch.

"Obviously we have confidence in Kai. I wasn't watching it but I was delighted when I heard the roar. Taking penalties is not for me, so I am in awe of anybody [who does]."

Chelsea have now won their last two matches, following a run of just one victory in 11 games.

"We have to [build on it]," said Havertz. "The last few weeks, we lost a lot of games, but the Champions League is an important tournament, the last one we're in, so we have to give everything for that.

"Today we showed character, showed we want to win this competition again. Now we have to also win games in the Premier League."

Sterling said: "It was a massive performance, we had to dig deep, we took our chances. Recently we haven't had the luck, but we felt as a team we knew we could do it. Kai did it in the end."

Chelsea completed a turnaround at Stamford Bridge to seal their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on Tuesday in the last-16 second leg, and 2-1 on aggregate.

After some near misses in the first half, Raheem Sterling gave the hosts the lead in the 43rd minute, before a retaken Kai Havertz penalty eight minutes into the second half sealed it.

Jude Bellingham missed an excellent opportunity to score for the visitors shortly after Havertz's penalty as the Bundesliga side toiled in west London after losing Julian Brandt to what appeared to be a hamstring injury early on.

It was Dortmund's first defeat since club competitions stopped prior to the World Cup, having won 10 in a row heading into this game, and was Chelsea's second win in a week as Graham Potter looks to turn their fortunes around.

Havertz almost put the hosts ahead just before the half-hour mark but his shot towards the near post from the edge of the box struck the inside of the woodwork, with the ball going across the goal but not in.

It was Sterling who broke the deadlock before half-time though as Chelsea put the Germans under concerted pressure, with the former Manchester City man getting a big slice of luck as he fluffed his first effort from Ben Chilwell's cross back into his own path, before slamming his second high into the roof of the net.

Chelsea had a penalty early in the second half after Marius Wolf was judged to have handled a Chilwell cross, with Havertz hitting the post with his first spot-kick, before being handed a second chance after a Dortmund player allegedly encroached, which he scored after sending Alexander Meyer the wrong way.

Bellingham skewed a shot wide under pressure from Kalidou Koulibaly as Dortmund failed to find a way back into it against a spirited Chelsea side.

Chelsea were punished for a profligate showing at Borussia Dortmund after Karim Adeyemi's second-half strike secured a slender 1-0 lead in the Champions League last 16.

Graham Potter's side will have home advantage in the return match at Stamford Bridge on March 7 but left Signal Iduna Park ruing missed chances on Wednesday.

Joao Felix spurned a pair of glorious first-half opportunities in an entertaining encounter in Germany, before Adeyemi's 63rd-minute goal inflicted further misery on Chelsea after a ruthless counter-attack.

The Blues still have the chance to turn the tie on its head, but Potter and his men cannot afford similar struggles in front of goal in the second leg in west London.

Thiago Silva had the ball in the back of the net after 16 minutes, only to see the goal ruled out and the centre-back cautioned for a seemingly intentional handball past Gregor Kobel.

Chances continued to flow in a frenetic first half as Marius Wolf sliced a golden opportunity wide and Sebastien Haller fired narrowly off target from a presentable opening.

Joao Felix wastefully blazed over before hitting the crossbar after a driving run, while Wolf arrowed just wide with Kepa Arrizabalaga scrambling.

Kobel produced an expert stop to deny Reece James' pinpoint free-kick after the interval, before the Dortmund goalkeeper thwarted a bouncing volley from the England right-back soon after.

Adeyemi was clinical when Dortmund broke from the resulting corner, released by Raphael Guerreiro and powering past Enzo Fernandez before rounding Kepa to score.

Emre Can then cleared off the line after Kalidou Koulibaly's effort squirmed under Kobel, who kept Dortmund's narrow lead intact with a fine stop from Fernandez in the final minute.

What does it mean? Advantage Dortmund

Dortmund defeated an English side in European competition for the first time in 11 attempts, although their first such victory since March 2016 – against Tottenham – came with a degree of fortune.

Potter will wonder what his Chelsea side must do to get past Kobel in the return meeting after Joao Felix's pair of misses came back to haunt the Blues on the road.

A repeat performance at home may be enough to down Dortmund, but Potter's men cannot bank on having such a plethora of chances again as they stare down the barrel of an early European exit.

Adeyemi the difference

While the brilliant Brandt created four chances in a productive display, Adeyemi will steal the headlines for his remarkable goal on the break.

The 21-year-old has scored in each of his last three competitive appearances – one more than in his first 20 games for BVB.

Havertz's Dortmund wait goes on

Kai Havertz has repeatedly been trusted by Potter to lead Chelsea's line, but the Germany international suffered a familiar fate against BVB.

The forward managed to create four chances and also attempted four shots, but he has now played eight games against Dortmund without scoring – more than against any other opponent in his club career. He has lost all five away games against Dortmund.

What's next?

Chelsea return to Premier League action at home to Southampton on Saturday, while Dortmund host Hertha Berlin the following day in the Bundesliga.

The second set of Champions League last-16 fixtures to take place this week is full of intrigue, with the continent's biggest-spending club of the January transfer window in need of a result.

Graham Potter's Chelsea forked out an estimated £291million to reshape their squad last month, but the misfiring Blues have won just one of their eight games this calendar year. 

For all his struggles on the domestic front, Potter has yet to suffer a Champions League defeat with Chelsea, and maintaining that record at Borussia Dortmund would give them an excellent chance of reaching the last eight.

Potter is not the only under-fire English boss to take centre stage on Wednesday, with former Fulham and Bournemouth head coach Scott Parker overseeing Club Brugge's clash with Benfica.

With just one win in nine games since the World Cup, Brugge will be considered outsiders against the Lisbon giants, who were outstanding as they finished above Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in Group H.

Stats Perform has taken a look at the key Opta numbers ahead of Wednesday's first-leg match-ups. 

Borussia Dortmund v Chelsea

Somewhat surprisingly given their statuses as European regulars, Dortmund and Chelsea will do battle for the first time in continental competition on Wednesday.

The omens are not particularly good for either side, as a BVB team without a win in their last 10 European meetings with English opponents (D2 L8) face a Chelsea side with just three victories in 11 previous away games in Germany (D3 L5).

Dortmund's last win over Premier League opponents came against Tottenham in the Europa League in 2016, with current Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netting twice in a 2-1 triumph.

Aubameyang will not be welcomed back by the yellow wall on Wednesday, however, having been left out of Chelsea's Champions League squad following their huge spending spree.

Instead, Germany international Kai Havertz may lead the line as he bids for a first career goal against BVB – his seven appearances without netting against Dortmund are more than he has managed against any other club.

Dortmund, meanwhile, could hand Sebastien Haller his first Champions League appearance for the club following his recovery from testicular cancer. The former Ajax man has more goals in his first eight games in the competition (11) than any other player.

Additionally, Haller has averaged a goal every 61 minutes of Champions League football, the best ratio in the competition's history (minimum 250 minutes played).

Should Chelsea keep Haller quiet en route to victory, Potter would become the first English manager to win five consecutive Champions League matches, with a 1-1 draw against Salzburg in his first game at the helm the only blot on his European record with the Blues.

Club Brugge v Benfica

Two of the group stage's surprise packages meet in Belgium, with Brugge having escaped Group B at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid, while Benfica bested PSG and Juventus.

Brugge boss Parker has struggled since replacing Carl Hoefkens, but he will join an exclusive club on Wednesday as just the third English coach to lead a non-English team in the Champions League, after Bobby Robson (Porto and PSV) and Gary Neville (Valencia).

In Parker and Potter, meanwhile, two different English managers will coach in the same Champions League campaign for the first time in the competition's history.

Benfica are sure to make things difficult for Parker's team. The Portuguese giants are unbeaten in their last seven Champions League games (W4 D3) and are chasing three consecutive wins in the competition for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

In the group stage, Benfica generated more shots (14) and scored more goals (five) following high turnovers (open-play sequences starting within 40 metres of the opponent's goal) than any other team, showing their devastating counter-attacking abilities.

Benfica also have the highest conversion rate of any team, netting with 20 per cent of their shots in the Champions League this term (16/80).

Home goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, then, could be in for a busy outing. Fortunately for Brugge, he has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the Champions League this season (6.3) – being beaten four times from 10.3 expected goals on target faced.

As Premier League managers try and strengthen their squads you'll need to ensure you make the right moves ahead of another weekend of action.

Amid the comings and goings in the January transfer window, finding the right formula is crucial in order to challenge for honours or start climbing the table.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four players who can earn you some precious points.

David Raya (Leeds United v Brentford)

Raya has kept two clean sheets in Brentford's past three top-flight games, the latest coming in a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth.

The Spain international has kept out the opposition entirely on six occasions this season in the Premier League and his tally of 81 saves is more than any other goalkeeper.

Leeds put five goals past a poor Cardiff City side in the FA Cup on Wednesday, but they have been wasteful in the top flight. A combination of a solid defence and Raya could frustrate them at Elland Road.

Dan Burn (Crystal Palace v Newcastle United)

If you have not got Burn in your defence, then it is a case of better late than never.

Newcastle have kept five consecutive Premier League clean sheets and Burn has been at the heart of their back four in all of those games.

Only team-mate Kieran Tripper (11) has more clean sheets to his name in the league this season than Burn's tally of nine.

A threat from set-pieces, the towering centre-back has also created five chanes and is due a Premier League goal after finding the back of the net against Leicester City in the EFL Cup.

Graham Potter believes Chelsea fans are in for a treat with Mykhaylo Mudryk's direct approach.

The Blues announced the signing of Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk during the first half of their 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, and paraded the Ukraine international at Stamford Bridge during half-time.

That victory came courtesy of Kai Havertz's second-half header and ended a run of three straight defeats across all competitions for the Blues. 

Mudryk had looked set to join Premier League rivals Arsenal, but Chelsea swooped in to secure his signature, reportedly paying £89million (€100m) to sign the 22-year-old.

Potter is confident he will be a hit with Chelsea's supporters, telling reporters: "You're never surprised in the transfer window. Things happen when you don't expect them to happen.

"He's a player with a big future, one versus one he's very direct, and he attacks the backline. I think our supporters will really like him."

Eyebrows have been raised at Chelsea's decision to hand the 22-year-old an eight-and-a-half-year contract, but Potter sees no problem.

"I'm the head coach and as you know, I've had enough to worry about and what is right for the club," he added. "If I'm here for the length of his contract, I'll be happy."

Mudryk is Chelsea's fifth signing of a busy January transfer window, and one of those additions made their debut against Palace, with Benoit Badiashile, signed from Monaco, featuring in defence.

The 21-year-old impressed, making a game-high nine clearances and playing more successful passes (71) than anyone on the pitch.

"I thought Benoit did well, really well," Potter added.

"It was a good game for him. [Kalidou] Koulibaly has had a lot of football and the turnaround from Thursday was a consideration.

"He passes the ball well and when he needed to head the ball out he did. He has to adapt to the Premier League. It will take him some time, but it was very positive."

With Chelsea dealing with a long injury list, as well as the suspension of on-loan Joao Felix, Havertz came good at the other end.

Since the start of last season, only Harry Kane (11) has scored more headed goals in the Premier League than the Germany international (six), who acknowledged it has been a difficult spell for the Blues.

"The last few weeks were tough," he said. "For everyone at the club, it is not easy under these circumstances. A lot of things changed this year.

"We have so many injuries, 10-12 injured players. Today we had five young players in the starting XI and they are doing a really good job at the moment.

"I think I was in a good spot. I play in the number nine position and I take the responsibility to score more goals. As a team need to score more goals. I will do my best to help the team."

Kai Havertz eased the pressure on Chelsea boss Graham Potter as his second-half header secured a slender 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Blues, who announced the £89million signing of Ukraine international Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk during the first half, had lost seven of their previous nine games in all competitions before the visit of Patrick Vieira's side.

They were far from convincing against a spirited Eagles outfit, but claimed a precious three points courtesy of Havertz's 64th-minute header.

Despite the win, Chelsea remain 10th in the Premier League, with Palace two places back in 12th.

Palace started with a spring in their step and twice went close shortly before the midway point of the first half as Tyrick Mitchell and Michael Olise were denied by smart saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea improved as the half wore on and they spurned two glorious quick-fire chances, Kai Havertz heading over from eight yards and Lewis Hall flashing wide after an incisive break.

Both goalkeepers made important stops during a frantic period of stoppage time at the end of the first half as Kepa pawed away Jeffrey Schlupp's header and Vicente Guaita tipped over Hakim Ziyech's powerful drive at the other end.

Ziyech was the provider for Chelsea's goal as his superb whipped cross from the left was headed home by Havertz from six yards. 

Havertz inexplicably headed wide of a gaping goal with 10 minutes remaining, but it mattered little in the end as Chelsea held on for a precious win.

What does it mean? Blues continue fine run over Palace

Potter could perhaps not have asked for more favourable opponents than Palace to try and turn Chelsea's season around, given they had beaten the Eagles in their previous 10 Premier League meetings.  

This latest win against their London rivals will surely buy the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager some time, and with the exciting Mudryk to integrate into the team, this might just be the start of a more favourable period for the Blues.

Havertz heads home

Havertz was comfortably Chelsea's biggest threat and he once again proved his prowess in the air. Since the start of last season, only Harry Kane (11) has scored more headed goals in the Premier League than the Germany international (six).

Chukwuemeka off the pace

Carney Chukwuemeka struggled on his first Premier League start of the season. The former Aston Villa man had just one shot, which was blocked, and failed to make a single key pass before he was replaced in the 63rd minute.

What's next?

Palace host Manchester United on Wednesday, before another home game against Newcastle United on Saturday – the same day Chelsea visit Liverpool. 

Joao Felix has moved to Chelsea as the latest acquisition in the Todd Boehly era, with the Blues looking to respond after a poor start to the season.

Eliminated from both domestic cup competitions by Manchester City, Graham Potter's side sit 10th in the Premier League and 10 points adrift of Manchester United in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Joao Felix arrives as yet another attacker in the quest to find a reliable outlet in the final third, joining on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season.

Having failed to fully establish himself in Diego Simeone's plans after a €126million (£113m) transfer from Benfica in 2019, Joao Felix has a point to prove – though there are questions to be asked as to whether he is the addition Chelsea truly need.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform has delved into the numbers to assess whether Joao Felix can be the man Potter's side are crying out for or whether he is further evidence of a scattergun transfer market approach by the Blues.

Atletico's restrictions

Although never scoring more than 10 goals or contributing more than five assists in a single season for Atletico, Joao Felix's impact has been steadily growing since his first campaign in the Spanish capital.

In 2019-20, the Portugal international averaged a direct goal contribution every 207 minutes, reducing to 157 minutes in 2020-21, 137 minutes last season and 120 minutes this term – where he was already halfway to last season's mark of 10 goals and had three assists.

Given Simeone's style does not suit expressive players like Joao Felix, such a return can be taken as a positive sign of his ability in the final third, though a shooting accuracy of 47.29 per cent in LaLiga since 2019-20 ranks him near the bottom of forwards who have scored at least 10 goals in that period.

Atletico create significantly fewer shooting opportunities than many of their European counterparts, however, ranking outside the top 25 for most shots across all competitions in Europe's top-five leagues since Joao Felix joined. In comparison, Chelsea are fourth.

As Joao Felix has a low conversion rate, the 23-year-old needs more chances in order to increase his goal tally, which Atletico have not been able to provide on a regular basis.

Chelsea's creative void

Chelsea fans have celebrated just 20 goals in the Premier League this season, with only supporters from the bottom six and Crystal Palace having fewer opportunities to cheer, though that only scratches the surface of the Blues' issues in the final third.

A shot conversion rate of 10.75 per cent this season is only narrowly behind top-four chasing Manchester United (11.1) and Liverpool (11.6), showing that converting chances is not the issue, but instead lies with the lack of opportunities being created.

Chelsea have had 186 shots in the Premier League this season, only Brentford, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have had fewer, identifying the Blues' lack of creativity is perhaps a bigger cause for concern than a reliable scorer.

Raheem Sterling stands as Chelsea's most potent outlet this season with 22 chances created, a figure lower than the highest total of a single player from any of their rivals in the established top-six and European-chasing Newcastle United.

Converting those chances has been another big issue for Chelsea this term, with no player hitting the five-goal mark in the Premier League yet this season and only four players having scored twice or more this term.

Fix it Felix?

With a need to improve creativity and their record in front of goal, Chelsea will look to Joao Felix as a potential fix for both issues – though four goals and 10 chances created in LaLiga for Atletico this season does not suggest an immediate solution.

The biggest question mark over the deal, though, is where exactly Joao Felix fits into Potter's starting line-up, as neither he nor Kai Havertz are recognised centre-forwards but would likely have to adopt a false nine role.

At Atletico, Joao Felix has had the biggest impact down the left, with 53.95 per cent of his touches this season down that side, while Havertz has been more influential on either flank than he has through the middle.

Perhaps surprisingly, it is Havertz who shows the better capability of being transformed into a more natural option through the middle. Since he arrived at Stamford Bridge in September 2020, he boasts more goals and a higher shooting accuracy than Joao Felix.

The Portuguese's conversion rate of 15.82 per cent in that period is slightly better than Havertz's 14.07 per cent but the Germany international has had 20 more attempts at goal, benefitting from Chelsea's higher volume attacking approach compared to Atletico's.

On the face of it, Joao Felix does not stand out as the fix that Chelsea are crying out for this season, though the ability for Potter to chop and change his forward three with either Havertz or his new addition through the middle should yield more effectiveness in the final third.