Connor Gallagher scored the winner against his former club to help Chelsea produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal as their only answer to Odsonne Edouard’s first goal, the Blues appeared to be heading for another painful 1-1 draw, the same result they achieved at home to Red Bull Salzburg in Potter’s first game in charge 17 days earlier.
As the game entered stoppage time, Gallagher, who had a highly impressive season on loan at Palace before returning to his boyhood club this summer, had other ideas. He bent a beautiful attempt past Vicente Guaita’s frantic dive and into the top corner. Gallagher’s goal, his first for Chelsea, helped Chelsea climb up to fifth in the Premier League and extend their winning streak against Palace to 11 games. Palace, however, is still only two points above the relegation zone. Thomas Tuchel frequently lamented the tendency of his team to fail to score when they had a majority of the possession due to wastefulness in front of goal and carelessness in defence, and it appeared as though his successor would shortly follow suit.
Managers Reaction
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira: “I don’t want to discuss stuff involving Thiago. It’s hard for me to comprehend and accept it, therefore there are times when it’s better to keep very quiet. I think the referee made a mistake, but I would get into trouble if I said so. A referee and a VAR are in charge of making decisions. We simply proceed.”
Chelsea manager Graham Potter: “We may have come out on the right side of the Thiago incident, but it was definitely a 50/50 shot. I can understand Patrick’s frustration, but I think it has definitely benefited us a little because he is such a distance from the goal.”
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