Head coach Graham Potter praised the performance of his Chelsea side against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night, acknowledging that they 'lacked luck' during the 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Despite only scoring twice in their last four matches, the Premier League giants had put together an unbeaten record over that period to build some confidence ahead of the trip to the Westfalenstadion.
Chelsea produced one of their best performances under Potter, hitting the woodwork and having a shot cleared off the line in their 21 shots, eight of which were on target.
However, the lack of ruthlessness in the final third cost them as Karim Adeyemi ran over half the length of the pitch, surging past Enzo Fernandez and rounding Kepa Arrizabalaga before converting into an empty net.
The goal came within seconds of Chelsea taking the lead from a corner at the other end with the officials playing a decisive advantage when they could have blown for offside.
Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Potter admitted that he was disappointed with the manner of the solitary goal, yet talked up the latest encouraging display of his side.
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The Englishman said: "It was a very strong performance, especially the second half. We created a lot of chances and efforts on goal but I am disappointed with the goal we conceded. I thought we were the dominant team in the second half. It is half time in the tie, we have to regroup.
"It is a counter-attack from a corner, we were close to scoring ourselves. They broke on us. It is disappointing, we need to do better. Apart from that, we were really, really good, we just have to score. I thought we had good attacking movements, clarity in terms of how we wanted to attack and got into right areas. The attitude was really positive as well.
"You can see the supporters' reaction, they were really positive, they can see the performance of the team, they gave us a fantastic reception. We are a team in progress, we know there are a lot of positive things there.
"You always need a bit of luck but you can't wait around for luck, you have to keep working. The boys have been fantastic with their work but we are still suffering at the moment. But we will keep on working."
The second leg at Stamford Bridge is due to take place on March 7, with Chelsea playing just three times before that encounter.
Potter's side host Southampton on Saturday before showdowns with Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United respectively.
Darren Plant
