Chelsea overcame Crystal Palace in an action filled match at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon thanks to a winning goal from Conor Gallagher.
Conor Gallagher returned in the cruelest way conceivable to torment his once club, Crystal Palace.
In the waning seconds, the England Under-21 star screamed a shot from 25 yards to secure all three points.
Odsonne Edouard had earlier given Palace the lead. Then, Thiago Silva was almost dismissed for handling the ball in a one-on-one situation while he was the last man.
Silva, a 38-year-old veteran of Brazil, then took the initiative as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a spin and scored an equalizer with a flawless finish.
This is when 22-year-old Gallagher, who was so excellent for the Eagles on loan last season, plunges the knife in with a last-second winner.
The visitors made a careless start to the game, and they paid the price after seven minutes in when Odsonne Edouard pounced on Jordan Ayew’s cross to give the Eagles the lead.
Turn and finish! 👏#CryChe pic.twitter.com/Qx5PR3Gi2Z
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 1, 2022
Raheem Sterling nearly scored for the Blues during their attempt to mount a comeback as he flicked a shot that just missed the post.
The fact that Chelsea did not go down to ten men before halftime was fortunate, but Thiago Silva only received a yellow card despite using his hand to stop a Palace attack.
Before halftime, the Brazilian was once more involved, but this time in a good way.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was set up by the Brazilian, and he produced a stunning attempt that beat Vicente Guaita.
The two teams struggled to gain an advantage in the second half, but nothing particularly obvious was produced.
Conor Gallagher’s stunning effort, which came against the team he was on loan at the previous season, reached the top corner as the game came to a conclusion.
The Blues held on to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 thanks to Gallagher’s 90th minute goal that was just enough for them.
Chelsea’s coach Graham Potter’s second game in charge of the Blues was against Patrick Vieira’s team, so obviously there is still a lot of work to be done.
It’s critical that Potter is given time to figure out what works because the Englishman might still want to try out new players and formations.
At Selhurst Park, Potter’s substitutions were ultimately the game-changer which showed that the English tactician still has a lot to offer the Stamford Bridge-based club.
Gallagher scored with a magnificent effort to give Chelsea all three points, making the new manager very content to earn his first win as Chelsea’s manager.
On repeat… 🤤#CryChe pic.twitter.com/azXZcMdJb4
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 1, 2022
The other players are aware that if they want to play a significant role in his ambitious side, they must put in performances like that.
The Blues have had trouble scoring goals this season, even though they have dominated games and created plenty of clear-cut opportunities.
Aubameyang appears to have potential to be a significant asset despite the fact that Sterling has been largely relied upon.
The Gabonese forward, who replaced Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku in the last summer transfer window, scored a spectacular goal versus Palace to open his account for Chelsea.
The score is hopefully a very encouraging indication of what the rest of the season will bring.
Another good pointer in the game for Chelsea was goalkeeper Kepa. The Spanish goalkeeper is standing in for Édouard Mendy who is battling fitness issues.
Even if the Spaniard gave up the opening goal after only seven minutes of play, he can hardly be held responsible for the club’s lack of clean sheet in the game.
He made some good saves that made sure the Blues left Selhurst Park with the vital three points; so overall it was a nice effort.
Watch the full highlights below:
