Conor Gallagher leads Chelsea's recovery with 2 goals in 3-1 win over former club Crystal Palace
Mon, Feb 12, 2024
Soccer News (AP)
LONDON (AP) - Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez scored stoppage-time goals to help Chelsea recover for a come-from-behind 3-1 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday, igniting the team's hopes of a finish in the European positions.
Gallagher netted twice against Palace, where he spent last season on loan, with the second goal coming just after 90 minutes had been played to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead.
Fernandez secured the points in the fourth minute of added time at Selhurst Park to leave Palace just five points above the relegation zone and its 76-year-old manager, Roy Hodgson, under more pressure.
Chelsea climbed to 10th place in what remains another disappointing campaign for a club that has spent more than $1 billion on players over the past two years. Yet it could still end in qualification for the minor European competitions, with seventh-place Newcastle only two points away.
Gallagher isn't one of Chelsea's many costly recent arrivals - he is a product of the club's youth academy - but is proving to be one of the best-performing players under Mauricio Pochettino, a season after impressing in his loan spell at Palace.
The England midfielder steered home a volley in the 47th minute to cancel out a thumping long-range opener by Jefferson Lerma in the 30th minute of a first half when Chelsea was lackluster, failing to register a single shot on target.
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