Chelsea rally to beat Palace
Chelsea came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 thanks to added time goals from Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez in the Premier League at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Gallagher put the visitors 2-1 up with his second goal of the match before Fernandez sealed the win as Chelsea rallied to secure the points that took them up to 10th in the standings.
The result adds to the pressure on Palace boss Roy Hodgson, whose side have not kept a clean sheet in 13 league matches. They sit 15th on 24 points, five points above the drop zone.
It was a tale of two halves for Chelsea who went into the break a goal down after a superb Jefferson Lerma strike on the halfhour had given the struggling hosts the lead.
“We saw two different sides. In the first half we were so flat and I was so disappointed. In the second half much better and I am very pleased with how we finished the game,” Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino told the BBC.
Gallagher’s first goal against
the club where he had a spell on loan in 2021-22 came two minutes after the break as he neatly side-footed Malo Gusto’s cross from the right high into the net.
The England midfielder struck again in the 91st, also the product of an attack down the right as he slotted Cole Palmer’s cross into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Another Chelsea counter attack, and another Palmer assist, saw the visitors seal the points in the 94th through Fernandez.
The third goal “led to an aggravated defeat but I don’t think that’s a fair reflection on the way the game was played.
“I think we deserved to come off with at least one point,” said Hodgson.