Conor Gallagher praised Chelseashowed determination after Chelsea's 4-3 win over Manchester United . He was amazed to hear that it was the first time the club had beaten their rivals in the Premier League since 2017.
Cole Palmer was once again Chelsea’s hero, scoring twice in added time to complete a hat-trick and secure the hosts all three points from what was one of the most exciting games in recent memory.
The youngster’s crucial goal, which bounced off Scott McTominay, came at 100 minutes and 39 seconds, making it the latest winning goal in Premier League history.
After falling behind by two goals, United found themselves leading 3-2 with just over 20 minutes remaining as Alejandro Garnacho scored twice and Bruno Fernandes scored a header at Stamford Bridge.
But Palmer’s late burst of goals left the visitors devastated at the end, and ensured the Blues climbed to tenth in the table with eight matches remaining in the top-flight campaign.
When asked about where the win stands in his Chelsea career, Gallagher told the club’s official website: ‘It’s got to be up there, hasn’t it?
‘We’ve had a good few this season but that might top it. The boys were brilliant to show character and keep fighting for the goal and two goals in the end.
‘Obviously you’ve got to give a lot of credit to Cole because he shows up when we need him most and he’s the man for us.’
Gallagher, Chelsea’s captain in the absence of Reece James, opened the scoring after only four minutes in west London, firing the ball past Andre Onana from the edge of the box to silence United’s away support.
‘Obviously it was nice to get the early goal and get the team a bit of confidence and then to go 2-0 up was great as well,’ the England midfielder added.
‘But we need to be better in those situations, we need to control the game better, we need to be better off the ball, more organised as a team and not let them back in the game as we did.
‘So that’s disappointing but like I said, second half, when we were 3-2 down, you’ve got to show character and belief that you can still win the game and that’s what the boys did.’
Gallagher praised his team-mates for 'persevering' until the final whistle and said the Chelsea dressing room was 'buzzing' with the result.
‘The boys just kept persevering, playing, kept creating chances and obviously it was a very open game, a bit of a basketball game to be fair,’ he continued.
‘But look, we got the two goals at the end so we’re buzzing.’
Surprisingly, United had gone 12 games without losing to Chelsea in the Premier League, with the Blues’ last win over their rivals coming way back in November 2017 – when Alvaro Morata scored the only goal of the game at Stamford Bridge.
‘Really?! That’s crazy. Is that true, is it?!’ Gallagher responded when told about Chelsea’s recent record against the Red Devils.
‘Yes, I didn’t know that, but it's great.'
'When Chelsea plays against Manchester United, it's a huge match. Chelsea versus United at the Bridge is an amazing game.'
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