Have Chelsea turned a corner, or is it another false start?

LONDON — Chelsea made the short trip to Selhurst Park to find the consistency they have lacked all season, and injury-time goals from Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernández finally answered manager Mauricio Pochettino's call. The 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday rewarded a performance where Chelsea dominated possession but struggled to convert that into clear chances until those two late hammer blows.

It was Gallagher, a former Palace loanee, who was the thorn in the Eagles' side. After Jefferson Lerma's wonder goal in the first half, Gallagher's goal just 90 seconds into the second half equalized, and he followed it up with his winner in the 91st minute, leaving the third well taken from Fernandez to round things out. These two late knockouts would have hurt the home fans as much as they delighted the away support.

With Chelsea stuck in mid-table and still searching for a winning formula with their £1 billion spend under owner Todd Boehly, and with Crystal Palace teetering near the relegation zone and manager Roy Hodgson under pressure, it was always going to be a nervous, tense match. The fans demanded remarkable performances, and both teams played with an intensity and urgency that underlined its importance. But it was Chelsea and Gallagher who came out on top as Pochettino's second-half substitutions helped produce an end product after a first half where they dominated possession but had no advantage.

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Chelsea's season so far has vacillated between false starts and frustrating bumps in the road. They sometimes threatened to lose their form, only to stumble. Their last three matches perfectly sum up their erratic form: after scoring eight goals in their defeats to Liverpool and Wolves in the Premier League, they then recorded a brilliant 3-1 victory at Aston Villa in the FA Cup last Wednesday.

Gallagher summed up the state of the team well after Monday's game: “There were games where we were brilliant, and others where we were terrible, so it was about getting that consistency .” The win was a bit of both in each half, although the victory gives Chelsea a chance to finally turn a corner if they can continue this momentum.

The Blues' erratic form highlights a lack of direction from the owners and the young, confused squad Pochettino is juggling: somewhere in the middle of their 28 signings since Boehly took ownership of the club is a young squad able to climb the ladder. painting. Now, with back-to-back wins, the question is whether this latest run of form will peter out too much.

“It’s the consistency that we need to change,” Pochettino said after beating Palace. We have to start the game in a different way, we have to try and be consistent to play and still perform the same way we did against Aston Villa. It's not easy, but that's the challenge.”

The pressure was hardly lighter on the hosts. Palace had won their last two league games at home, but those were their only victories in their last 14 matches. They also arrived without star players Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guehi, all of whom fell to injury in the last fortnight. These are their three most influential players absent, alongside long-term absentee Cheikhou Kouyaté.

Hodgson said earlier this week that he was going through “the most difficult time of [his] career” – quite a statement considering he has been in charge since 1976. And the pre-match noise coming from those in the meeting room and on the pitch was the need for fans to stay by their side despite their Recent dissatisfaction with results, team selection and style of play. Fans made their thoughts clear with a banner at the end of Holmesdale Road reading: “Weak club culture and management.”

Despite their misgivings, from the start the Palace fans made their voices heard, with smoke from red flares engulfing Dean Henderson's first-half goal. This helped create the claustrophobic feeling of this match where determinations were tested alongside the patience of the spectators in the stands.

Chelsea started from the start trying to pick up where they left off in the game against Villa, making just one change due to injury, with Thiago Silva starting in place of the injured Benoit Badiashile. But in the first half, Chelsea tried the same thing several times, to no avail: they controlled the ball in midfield, moved it outwards, relied on pace and invention of full-backs Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell to get the ball into the box. and watched as Palace cleared the ball.

On the other hand, Palace have been much more inventive with their front three, including new signing Matheus França taking advantage of midfielder Adam Wharton – in his first Premier League start since his big-money move in January – Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma keep Chelsea going backwards. After Mateta had a great chance saved by Dorde Petrovic, their high pressure finally paid off, with Lerma scoring a brilliant 30-yard strike after Noni Madueke and Moisés Caicedo were caught in possession.

Chelsea trudged into the break 1-0 with an expected goals number, or xG, of just 0.06 – their lowest in the first half since Liverpool humiliated them in January, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Meanwhile, Chelsea's 420 completed passes without a shot on goal in the first half is the Premier League record since 2003.

But after half-time, it was Chelsea who emerged from their slumber more radiant. With Christopher Nkunku replacing a frustrated Madueke at half-time, the Blues changed formation to play two up front, with Gallagher and Cole Palmer – ineffective as a false number 9 in the first half – just behind. The trigger immediately came with Gusto's cross finding Gallagher in the middle of the area and he finished well to equalize.

From there, Chelsea kept a tight grip on the game as the introduction of Raheem Sterling (despite a wasted finish from a brilliant through ball) helped bring more intensity, leading to Gallagher breaking the determination from Palace with a late winner. Fernandez's injury-time goal while playing with Daniel Muñoz only served to rub salt in the wounds.

“The manager gave us more structure in his half to try and create more chances,” Gallagher said. “It was really good from the manager and it helped us play better in the second half.”

It is therefore the second half of Chelsea that the away supporters will take with them. Despite all the possession in the first 45 minutes, it was the second half group that held on. Pochettino's tactical change worked, Enzo Fernandez's inventiveness was given space to shine and Palmer looked much happier playing slightly further back from the front two. Gusto and Chilwell crashed while Caicedo got into the game playing slightly deeper.

But once again, Gallagher – the man who was constantly linked with moves away from the club – was the one who stood up when it counted and converted the growing sense of inevitability of this match into reality. It was a potent cocktail and something Pochettino's group can use for their next task, a trip to Manchester City on Saturday.

“I think he is a very committed player to the team, always trying to compensate for every situation,” Pochettino said of Gallagher. “It's priceless to have a player like him. I'm so happy for him because it's a win we needed.”

The start of the second half was delayed as referee Michael Oliver had technical problems with his microphone and, to fill the gap while the players kicked the ball to warm up, those responsible for the stadium playlist opted to “Three Little” by Bob Marley. Birds.” Supporters on both sides sang it loudly in the cold south London skies. But of both sets of supporters, it will be the Chelsea supporters who begin to believe that one day everything might be alright. 'arrange.