Chelsea vs. Dynamo Kiev: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League

Jose Mourinho may not be off the hot seat at Chelsea just yet, but Willian ensured his manager would be sitting a bit more comfortably on Wednesday, scoring a crucial goal from a free kick in the 83rd minute to give the Blues a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev. 

Max Bretos of ESPN summed up Willian's strike, and its meaning for Chelsea and the club's manager, perfectly:

The Blues also scored in the first half on Aleksandar Dragovic's own goal, and Dragovic netted for Dynamo in the second to even things up before Willian's heroics.

Chelsea were the better team throughout the match, controlling 54 percent of possession and putting more shots on goal (5-2), per ESPN FC. And they absolutely dominated the first half, though the team's first goal was a bit of a gift. 

Willian did well to free himself on the right flank in the 34th minute, using his speed to beat his defender toward the touch line and rip a low cross toward goal. Dragovic did well to beat Chelsea's attackers to the ball, but he didn't do well to clear the cross, instead heading the effort into the back of his own net to give Chelsea the 1-0 lead. 

Fox Soccer shared the unfortunate own goal:

Indeed, Chelsea won't be picky about the goals they get at this point. As Phil McNulty of BBC Sport noted, sometimes a bit of fortune is necessary:

The Blues weren't feeling quite so lucky in the dying moments of the first half, however, as Diego Costa seemed to be free on goal, only to be stymied by a tackle that he vehemently protested was a foul. The referee begged to differ, however, and the Blues went into the half with a one-goal lead. 

Given the club's recent struggles, it was a pretty solid half, as Iain Macintosh of ESPN FC noted:

The game opened up a bit more in the second half, though Chelsea continued to have the better chances, and were it not for Kurt Zouma pushing an absolute sitter off a free kick wide or Dynamo goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy making a brilliant save from Oscar, the Blues would have had a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes of the second half.

And Chelsea would lament those missed opportunities. 

Dragovic, the man who gave Chelsea their lead, would take it away, ripping home the equalising goal after the ball found its way to his foot off a corner. It appeared to take a slight deflection on the way in, but Dynamo had pulled themselves even.

Chelsea earned their lead back shortly after, however. 

After second-half substitute Eden Hazard was fouled outside of the box in the 82nd minute, Willian stepped up to take the free kick and curled a sublime effort past the outstretched Shovkovskiy, restoring Chelsea's advantage. 

Matt Dickinson of the Times recognized the huge implications of that goal:

Ives Galarcep of SBISoccer.com, meanwhile, took a moment to credit Mourinho:

Chelsea desperately needed this win. The Blues are shockingly in 15th place in the Premier League—14 points behind league leaders Manchester City and Arsenal—but find themselves in second place in Group G behind Porto. 

At this point, European play may offer them a better chance of earning a Champions League spot next year than climbing back into the top four in the Premier League.

Post-Match Reaction

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

After the match, a subdued Mourinho acknowledged that the win took a load off his chest, per Tom Rostance of BBC Sport:

"

The win is a big relief. The players deserve to get compensation for their hard work. Many players are coming to their normal levels, despite having feelings as a team when negative moments come—and they are coming every game.

The difference today was that we had confidence in the negative moment. The negative moment is always arriving for us.

"

He added, per Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC, "To qualify, 1-1 was not a drama... but I think by the mental point of view a reaction to a negative moment was important."

He concluded, "We conceded and the team emerged... they felt confidence for that."

He also acknowledged the club's supporters, per BT Sport Football:

The Blues next have a winnable game against Maccabi Tel Aviv followed by a meeting with Porto to close out the group, so advancing to the knockout phase remains a likely possibility.

Dynamo is in trouble, meanwhile, facing Porto next before the matchup against Tel Aviv. Taking a point against Chelsea would have made advancing to the next round a much easier task, though the club could still advance with a bit of help.