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Graham Potter provided a quadruple assessment of his Chelsea players following their win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Chelsea claimed their first win under the 47-year-old on Saturday afternoon in the London derby after coming from behind to seal a 2-1 win over Patrick Vieira’s side.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang swivelled and struck past Vicente Guaita in the 38th minute to get his first goal for the club and Chelsea’s leveller in south London.
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Potter made changes throughout the second half, including bringing on Conor Gallagher, and was rewarded when the 22-year-old found the top corner in the closing minutes to ensure Chelsea snatched all three points.
The Chelsea head coach gave starts to Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ben Chilwell, albeit enforced due to the absences of Edouard Mendy and Marc Cucurella.
Both impressed Potter with Kepa making several fine stops to deny the likes of Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha.
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Kepa, Chilwell and the two goalscorers earned positive feedback from their boss after the game as they now look ahead to facing AC Milan in the Champions League next Wednesday.
Speaking at full-time, as quoted by Adam Newson, Potter was full of praise for Kepa, Chilwell, Gallagher and Aubameyang.
On Kepa Arrizabalaga
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Potter said: “I thought he did really well. He made a couple of big saves but also, his distribution in terms of his decision-making was really strong. You need players to step up and perform and Kepa did that today. So I am really happy for him.”
On Ben Chilwell
Potter continued: “It’s not an easy place to play because they put two wingers up against you at times; players like (Wilfried) Zaha are hard to control. It’s his first 90 minutes in the Premier League but he had 90 minutes behind closed doors before he went away for the international break. He has come back from a long injury but he has a fantastic attitude, is a great kid, and am enjoying working with him.”
On Conor Gallagher
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Potter added: “I am delighted for Conor, delighted for the team, delighted for the substitutes that they could come on and have an impact. That is what you want. You want players that are disappointed and frustrated because they want to play, of course, but that they show that in a good way and are ready to help when they come on the pitch.
“I am delighted for Conor, it’s a fantastic strike. He has a lot of respect for Crystal Palace, you can see that from his reaction. But he’s a Chelsea player now and it was a great goal for us.”
On Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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Potter concluded: “It was an important goal. He has been working hard to get himself up to Premier League fitness and I have been really impressed with him. But any forward will tell you it is important for them to score and it was an important goal for us.”
Topics: Graham Potter, Chelsea, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben Chilwell, Conor Gallagher, Football
Matthew Debono