Conor Gallagher believes scoring against his former club Crystal Palace was ‘written in the stars’ after he netted a late winner for Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea came from behind after Odsonne Edouard’s opener in the seventh minute to seal a 2-1 win over their London counterparts at Selhurst Park.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shot on the swivel seven minutes before half-time brought the visitors level, and they were made to wait until the 90th minute to find their winner.
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Gallagher, who came on as a substitute, found himself with the ball on the edge of the box and he sweetly struck a shot destined for the corner. It flew past Vicente Guaita and into the back of the net to put Chelsea ahead in south London.
He spent the season on loan with the Eagles last term and returned to Selhurst Park for the first time since his temporary spell ended.
It was Gallagher’s first Premier League goal for Chelsea, a special one and time to do it, and to no surprise against Palace.
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The 22-year-old was in buoyant mood at full-time and despite not celebrating out of respect to the hosts, Gallagher couldn’t contain the special excitement.
He told BBC Match of the Day: "It's a very special moment to come on and get the winner and my first goal for Chelsea. It was written in the stars. Unfortunately it came against Palace but I'm just buzzing to get my first goal.
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"Everyone knows how much I loved it here (at Palace) and I thank the whole club and the fans - even today with the reception they gave me.
"Hopefully I can build a bit of confidence with the goal and push on.
"I want to work as hard as I can for him (manager Graham Potter) and be available wherever he needs me, whether starting or coming off the bench. Obviously I want to start and I need to show him I'm good enough."
After sending his manager a message over his role in the coming weeks, Potter was delighted for the England international.
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Potter added: "We're delighted for Conor and it's a fantastic strike.
"He has a lot of respect for Palace, you could see that from his reaction, but he is a Chelsea player now."
Topics: Conor Gallagher, Chelsea, Graham Potter, Crystal Palace, Football
Matthew Debono