FC Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea: Potter, Kovacic make history as Blues cruise into knockout phase

On a night manager, Graham Potter and midfielder, Mateo Kovacic made history, Chelsea have also qualified for the last-16 stage of the UEFA Champions League following their 2-1 win at the Red Bull Arena, home of their Austrian host, FC Salzburg.

Goals in either half from Kovacic and Kai Havertz were enough to put the Blues firmly on top of the group E table with 10 points with just one round of games remaining.

Chelsea boss, Potter profited, as it were from the victory as he became the second Englishman to go undefeated in his first nine games as the Blues’ manager in all competitions after William Lewis in 1906/07.

Kovacic, scorer of Chelsea’s opener also became the second player to score his first five Champions League goals under different managers (Jurcic, Benitez, Zidane, Lampard, Potter), along with Luka Modric (Redknapp, Mourinho, Ancelotti, Benitez, Zidane).