Milan, Oct. 12 (BUS): What a difference a week makes.
Chelsea were bottom of Group E, but two back-to-back victories over Italian champions AC Milan saw them move to center stage to advance to the Champions League round of 16, the Associated Press reported.
Chelsea climbed to the top of the group on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over AC Milan, who played most of the match with 10 men, after former Blues defender Fikayo Tomori was sent off in the 18th minute for awarding a penalty.
Jorginho converted the penalty and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the visitors’ lead in the 34th minute to help Chelsea to their first win on Italian soil since 2003.
Chelsea advanced by one point above Salzburg, who drew 1-1 with its guest Dinamo Zagreb in the other Group E match. Milan and Dynamo are three points behind Chelsea.
“Obviously it’s important for us to be there at the end of the group,” Chelsea coach Graham Potter said. “We know we haven’t got enough points now, so we have to keep going and focus on the next game, which is another tough game away from Salzburg.”
Potter was appointed last month after Thomas Tuchel was sent off after a shock 1-0 loss to Dynamo in the opening match of the Champions League. The former Brighton boss quickly turned things around.
“The important thing is that the faster you get to know players, the faster you can build some confidence, the faster you can understand them, the better,” Potter said. “I think it’s up to the players, the players, and how they responded. They have been very honest, very responsible and want to do a good job.
“So our job is to try to help them and try to help them enjoy their football. If they enjoy football, there is quality in the team.”
Milan, who was going through an injury crisis, lost 3-0 to Chelsea last week. Tomori made one of Milan’s worst performances and was hoping to make up for himself at the San Siro.
But it all went wrong for him and Milan early on as Tomori got a straight red card for dragging him on Mason Mount and the referee pointed out the spot.
“I asked the referee at the end of the match whether the VAR was working properly,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli said. “I don’t think it was the best evening to judge, that’s without a doubt.”
Jorginho has missed Italy’s past three penalties but his dribbling, skipping and jumping technique worked this time around and sent AC Milan goalkeeper Ciprien Totorano the wrong way.
Milan didn’t let their heads drop and almost leveled soon after as Olivier Giroud was allowed plenty of space but the former Chelsea striker sent Ibrahim Diaz’s cross off the right post.
Mount again featured in Chelsea’s second as the England midfielder touched a through ball to Aubameyang, who buried it in the lower right corner.
Serginio d’Este had a great chance to get Milan back into the game after the hour mark, after a superb play by Rafael Leao, but the American hit his effort over the bar.