Kai Havertz stunner sends Chelsea into Champions League knockout stages

Kai Havertz's brilliant second-half goal earned Chelsea a 2-1 win at RB Salzburg which booked their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

The Germany international curled in a stunning effort midway through the second half to decide a testing evening in Austria and extend Graham Potter’s unbeaten start to his Blues reign to nine games.

The Premier League side had gone ahead through a fine strike by Mateo Kovacic and only a string of saves by impressive home goalkeeper Philipp Kohn stopped it being a rout at half-time.

The Austrian side levelled early in the second half through Junior Adamu’s superb breakaway effort as Chelsea looked in peril.

Havertz had the final say, though, winning the match in style and sending his side through with his 20-yard effort that found the top corner.

Chelsea will top Group E if Dinamo Zagreb fail to beat AC Milan in the late kick-off.

After an even start Chelsea took the lead midway through the first half with a goal out of nothing by Kovacic.

A loose ball fell to the midfielder on the edge of the area and he sent a first-time effort into the top corner.

It was almost two four minutes later but Kohn produced a brilliant save to get down low and keep out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's deflected header from a corner.

Potter’s men found their attacking groove and it should have been 2-0 in the 32nd minute but Kohn delivered again. Havertz broke clear down the left and squared for Aubameyang, who had all the time in the world but shot straight at the goalkeeper’s legs.

Kohn was forced into another save 10 minutes before half-time but this was more about a poor miss by Havertz as the German put a header straight at the goalkeeper from six yards out after Gallagher’s cross laid it on a plate.

Kohn