Graham Potter recorded his first league victory at Chelsea on Saturday against Crystal Palace. The Blues boss was taken over at the club by Thomas Tuchel on September 8. Potter’s team rallied from an early game deficit to take all three points along the way.
Crystal Palace started well
Crystal Palace scored first as Odsonne Edouard put the Eagles in front after just seven minutes. Chelsea, however, did not panic and leveled the score before halftime. New signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his first goal for the west London club. The former Arsenal striker left Barcelona for the Blues after falling down the pecking order in Spain.
Five minutes before Aubameyang’s goal, Chelsea were almost down to 10 men. Central defender Thiago Silva deliberately manipulated the ball when Jordan Ayew was about to head it towards goal. The referee and the VAR, however, decided that it was only a yellow card offence.
Potter sees his first league at Chelsea
Just when it seemed certain that the match would end in a draw, Chelsea scored the winner in the final moments of regulation time. Former Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher entered the fray as a 76th-minute substitute for the Blues. Gallagher stood out during his 2021/22 loan campaign with the Eagles. However, his return would haunt Palace.
The England international sent a beautiful curling effort into the top corner in the 90th minute of the match. Showing respect for his former club, Gallagher did not celebrate the magnificent goal. Chelsea saw the last minutes of added time and won the game 2-1.
Post-match reaction
After the match, Potter praised his midfielder. “We are delighted for Conor Gallagher,” the manager proclaimed in his post-match interview. “Of course he has a lot of respect for Palace… but he is now a Chelsea player.”
Pulisic passes the ball to Conor Gallagher and Gallagher does the rest. ????
????: @USA_Network #MyPLMorning | #CRYCHE pic.twitter.com/zct8gx4bM2
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 1, 2022
Saturday’s victory moved the Blues up to fifth place in the Premier League table for the time being. Manchester United have a chance to overtake Chelsea with a win on Sunday against cross-town rivals Manchester City.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/PA Images
