'Really good from the manager' - Conor Gallagher credits under-fire Mauricio Pochettino for late Chelsea comeback

Conor Gallagher credited Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino’s “really good” tactical tweaks after a late comeback victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The Blues scored twice in stoppage time to come back from a 1-0 half-time deficit and win 3-1 at Selhurst Park, Gallagher striking twice before Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround.

Pochettino’s position has come under scrutiny during his debut campaign as Chelsea boss, with the Blues moving into 10th place following Monday’s victory.

But midfielder Gallagher believes the manager’s tactical tinkering was behind a 13th consecutive win for Chelsea against their London rivals.

"It was a tough win. We weren't good enough in the first half and we had to stick together to get the job done. We are buzzing with the three points,” Gallagher told Sky Sports.

"The gaffer [Pochettino] gave us more structure in their half of the pitch to try and create more chances.

“It was really good from the manager and helped us play better in the second half.

“When we scored early we knew we had to go on and win it but it was getting later in the match. My calf started cramping up and then to get that goal. It was an amazing feeling and the lads are buzzing."

Pochettino himself was disappointed by his side’s first-half performance and called for greater consistency.

Chelsea’s win was much-needed after back-to-back league defeats to Liverpool and Wolves, sending them into Saturday’s clash away to Manchester City with a degree of confidence – but plenty of work-ons.

"We just want to build our confidence and realise we need to be more consistent,” said Pochettino.

On his tactical tweaks, the former Spurs and PSG boss said: “We used two strikers in between the centre-back and the full-back. We put [Malo] Gusto and [Ben] Chilwell higher and moved the ball quicker with Enzo in a No. 10 role. It helped us score."

The result leaves Crystal Palace 15th in the standings and just five points clear of the relegation zone.

But manager Roy Hodgson, who described the defeat as an “extremely cruel” result, is confident his side won’t be at risk of the drop come the end of the season.

“I am confident we can do that [stay up],” Hodgson told the BBC. “At the moment we are playing without three or four of our most experienced and quality players and they won't be out until the end of the season.

"I am not concerned we are going to be relegated and the way the players played tonight, if you add the quality to that, I don't think we need to be too concerned about relegation. We are not complacent about it, but I believe in the team and players and believe they will pull us through."

Palace face 18th-placed Everton at Goodison Park next on Monday.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media