Chelsea victory vs Palace thanks to Gallagher ‘s!
Graham Potter’s first Premier League match in charge of Chelsea finished in a 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park thanks to Conor Gallagher‘s stunning late finish assisted by Christian Pulisic.
Gallagher had received a brilliant reception from the Palace fans as their reigning Player of the Year after his loan spell there last season,
but he broke their hearts with a brilliantly measured strike from the edge of the box in the 90th minute to give Potter the three points.
Crystal Palace – Chelsea FC – Played on 10/01/ 2022
Crystal Palace can feel aggrieved at leaving this with nothing.
They took an early lead through Odsonne Edouard after just seven minutes and could’ve added another soon after through the brilliant Eberechi Eze.
But the controversial moment of the match came in the 32nd minute as Thiago Silva was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card after he got caught in possession in his own half and inexplicably handled the ball (perhaps twice) to prevent Jordan Ayew from having a run through on goal.
Patrick Vieira was incensed but Silva survived,
and six minutes later,
it was Silva’s header down that found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who scored his first for Chelsea to draw the game level. After both teams did their best to force an opening in the second half,
it was Gallagher who found the winner with that memorable strike late on.
Chelsea came from behind to break Crystal Palace hearts late on.
Conor Gallagher produced a sensational shot to snatch victory for the Blues. The possession from the visitors eventually paid off,
but Graham Potter will be concerned by their wasteful attacks.
Crystal Palace struck first as Odsonne Edouard prodded the home from Jordan Ayew’s cross. Chelsea were vulnerable in defence,
allowing the hosts to threaten on the counter-attack.
The Blues had 73% possession in the first half but were only able to score one through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s fierce strike. The scores were level at half-time in an exciting match.
The second half failed to follow the story of the first half. Graham Potter’s side dominated possession as they consequently threatened the opposition goal more. However,
they lacked the final ball when required.
With the game petering out,
Gallagher silenced the home fans as he curled his shot into the top right corner. It broke the hearts of Eagles fans due to his previous allegiance to the home side.
Patrick Vieira made three changes to his side. Michael Olise came in for Jeffrey Schlupp, whilst Edouard and Joel Ward replaced Jean-Philippe Mateta and Joachim Andersen retrospectively.
In comparison, Graham Potter made two changes to his side. Ben Chilwell replaced Marc Cucurella, as Wesley Fofana replaced Cesar Azpilicueta. The English manager was looking to win his debut Premier League match as Blues manager but knew they would have to be at their best to beat the Eagles.
In the opening minutes, the West London side had 90% possession, however, it was the hosts who struck first.
