Gallagher haunts Palace as Chelsea boss Potter seals first win

LONDON: Graham Potter earned his first win as Chelsea manager after Conor Gallagher returned to haunt Crystal Palace with the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Potter was taking charge of Chelsea for just the second time since replacing the sacked Thomas Tuchel in September. The former Brighton boss had overseen a 1-1 draw with RB Salzburg in the Champions League and was seconds away from another frustrating result until England midfielder Gallagher rode to the rescue.

Odsonne Edouard had put Palace ahead early on before former Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalized with his first goal for Chelsea late in the first half. That set the stage for Gallagher to come off the bench and win it for Chelsea deep into stoppage-time, in the process breaking the hearts of the team he played for on loan for the whole of last season. “It’s a very special moment to come on and get the winner.

It was written in the stars. Everyone knows how much I loved it at Palace but I’m just buzzing to get my first goal,” Gallagher said of his maiden strike for Chelsea. Relieved to get off the mark after a tricky test in south London, Potter said: “We’re delighted with the result.

It’s a tough place to come. I thought we started quite well but conceded from the first action into the box. “Credit to the boys, they recovered well and did not let their heads go down.

It was nice to get an equalizer and get back in the game. “There’s character, that’s for sure. They could’ve felt sorry for themselves after conceding the goal but the players stood up all the way through.