Cole Palmer scored twice in stoppage time as Chelsea beat Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
Conor Gallagher praised Chelsea’s ‘character to keep fighting’ in the wake of their epic 4-3 victory over Manchester United and was left visibly stunned when told 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, netting twice in stoppage time to complete a hat-trick and secure the hosts all three points from what was one of the most thrilling games in recent memory.
The youngster’s decisive strike deflected in off Scott McTominay and was timed at 100 minutes 39 seconds, making it the latest winner in the history of the Premier League.
After going two goals down, United found themselves 3-2 in front with just over 20 minutes remaining as Alejandro Garnacho scored either side of Bruno Fernandes’ first-half header at Stamford Bridge.
But Palmer’s late flurry left the visitors crestfallen at the final whistle and ensured the Blues rose to tenth in the table with eight matches remaining of the top-flight campaign.
Asked where the win ranks 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 to 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 opened the scoring after four minutes at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)
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.’
The result saw Chelsea rise to tenth in the Premier League table (Picture: Getty)
Gallagher credited his team-mates for ‘digging in’ until the full-time whistle and said the Chelsea dressing room was ‘buzzing’ with the result.
‘The boys just kept digging in, 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.’
Remarkably, 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 mad. Is that true, is it?!’ Gallagher replied when informed of Chelsea’s recent record against the Red Devils.
‘Yeah, I mean I didn’t know that but it’s brilliant.
‘When it’s Chelsea versus Manchester United, it doesn’t get much bigger. Chelsea against United at the Bridge, it’s a fantastic game.’
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