Dortmund’s Bellingham called Chelsea’s penalty take-back ‘a joke’

The Blues won the Round-16 second leg 1-1 at Stamford Bridge 1-0 thanks to a Raheem Sterling goal when Ben Chilwell’s cross was met by Marius Wolff early in the second half.

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Referee Danny Makkelle was sent to a monitor by VAR official Pol van Bogle to review the incident and was later awarded a spot kick, which Kai Havertz missed as it hit the post.

However, another VAR review found that several Dortmund players had entered the penalty area before Howards hit the ball, prompting Mackel to reconsider, which the Germany international sent his side through to the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.

“I don’t know what else he can do with his arm,” Bellingham said after the contest of the initial volley call. “That’s disappointing and I think it’s a joke that they’ve retaken it.

“For every penalty, especially when you’re running slowly, a yard or more will go into the box. He made the decision and we have to live with it.”

Asked to go into more detail about the payout, Bellingham added: “I don’t want to get in trouble. I’ve paid them enough.”

The result is a huge boost for Chelsea boss Graham Potter, who has recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since October as his side finish 10th in the Premier League.

Potter endured criticism from a section of Chelsea fans and said: “Inevitably, in life, you’re going to have bad times and good times. I don’t know how to look at it any other way. It’s how you react. The bad times, get some perspective and analyze it properly. .Things aren’t always bad, but sometimes they feel like it!

“My job is to help the team, help the players, prepare the team as best we can and support them. They’re struggling too. Nobody enjoys the run we’ve had. That’s why today is important. We wanted to progress and we have, so we’re happy.”