Kai Havertz: Why Chelsea Attacker Was Allowed to Retake Penalty vs Borussia Dortmund

• Kai Havertz was controversially allowed to retake his penalty against Borussia Dortmund
• Players from both teams were inside the box before Havertz struck the post on his first attempt
• The successful goal knocked Dortmund out of the Champions League and has left fans furious

Chelsea's home game against Borussia Dortmund on March 7 was marred by controversy, as Kai Havertz scored a second-half penalty to send the Blues through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

It was a huge relief for Graham Potter, whose job hang by a thread after a string of poor results. With two back-to-back wins under his belt, Potter has now bought himself some time at Stamford Bridge.

Trailing 1-0 after the first leg, Chelsea needed a huge result to qualify for the last 8 for the third season in a row. After a few missed opportunities, Raheem Sterling finally found the back of the net to even the tie.

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Havertz incident causes controversy

Immediately after the restart, Marius Wolf handled a Ben Chilwell cross and after a VAR review, Chelsea were handed a penalty.

Hours after being confirmed as the club's new designated penalty taker following Jorginho's departure to Arsenal, Havertz stepped up but saw his attempt hit the foot of the post.

Upon another quick review, the German was handed a huge reprieve after he was allowed to retake his penalty by Dutch referee, Danny Makkelie, due to what is called encroachment in football circles.

Why was Havertz's kick retaken?

Before Havertz took the spot kick, both sets of players were inside the penalty area. In fact, Chilwell was well advanced among all the players. So why order a retake?

The fact that it was Dortmund's player, Salih Özcan who cleared the ball after it ricocheted off the post, necessitated a retake according to football rules.

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"The players other than the kicker and goalkeeper must be; at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the penalty mark; behind the penalty mark; inside the field of play and; outside the penalty area."

Özcan was inside the D as the penalty was struck. It is highly unlikely the referee would have ordered a retake had the ball landed at a Chelsea player first.

Havertz then stepped up again to slot it past Alexander Meyer. The goal was enough to take the Blues through.

Bellingham blasts referee, Havertz

Sports Brief also reported on Dortmund midfielder, Jude Bellingham labelling the controversial penalty retake 'a joke'.

The German giants were sent crashing out of the UCL after losing 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

The decision has left Bellingham furious, with the star slamming the referee's verdict and Havertz's penalty technique.