Chelsea star Conor Gallagher admitted that he felt his side had been ‘terrible’ on occasions so far this season. The Blues looked as if they were tiptoeing towards another underwhelming performance against Crystal Palace but completed an impressive second-half comeback to win 3-1.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have endured a shaky start to the season, winning 10 of their opening 24 Premier League fixtures. The Blues do appear to have turned a corner in recent weeks though, impressing against Aston Villa last week before digging deep to secure an important three points at Selhurst Park on Monday night.
Gallagher stole the headlines against Crystal Palace after Jefferson Lerma had opened the scoring with a sensational strike in the first half, levelling the score just two minutes after the interval before putting his side ahead in the 91st minute. Enzo Fernandez then put the game to bed in the 94th minute when curling his strike into the roof of the net from close-range following a swift counter-attack.
Gallagher played a key role in the victory aside from his goals, driving his team forward from midfield and sniffing out danger when Palace looked to hit Chelsea on the counter-attack. The England international was full of praise for his side’s display when talking to Sky Sports after the match, though did admit that consistency is an issue for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Speaking after the game, Gallagher said: “We have got some massive games coming up and we are trying our best to keep improving. It’s just consistency is the thing for us because everyone has seen us win games and been brilliant, and there have been games where we have been terrible.
“It is about us getting that consistency and today was really important after a great performance against Villa the other day so hopefully we can continue this form.” Chelsea face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on the weekend and they will be hoping to show that they are making progress by dealing Pep Guardiola’s side a blow in their bid to retain the Premier League title.
Gallagher is likely to start in the match given that Pochettino has relied on the England international throughout the campaign, though his position remains unknown given his versatility as part of Chelsea’s midfield three.
Asked about the different positions that he has been deployed in so far this season, the 24-year-old said: “I’ve played in a number of positions this season, more so holding midfield towards the start of the season then box to box, the 10, even upfront for a few games. I’m happy to play anywhere for the manager. I’m happy wherever I play. No problem.”
