‘When I was on the bench I was thinking please just get me on, I've got a feeling!’

Those were words from Saturday’s matchwinner Conor Gallagher shortly after he had shot down a Crystal Palace side with whom he has such an attachment.

Graham Potter duly obliged. The young player who had impressed so much on loan there last season returned to the Selhurst Park turf for the final 15 minutes of a game drifting towards a 1-1 draw. Then in the final minute of normal time – bang!

‘As soon as I got that half-a-yard I was thinking just shoot and as soon as it left my boot, I was thinking it has a chance,’ Gallagher revealed.

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‘It is a special moment for me to score my first goal for Chelsea, an amazing feeling, it is a boyhood dream of mine, and of course it had to come against Palace,’ the 22-year-old said with a little wry smile.

‘I have to be so thankful for the Palace fans, first because of the reception they gave me before the game and even after the game, after I scored.

‘To score my first goal is massive, just to get that confidence back up a little bit, and hopefully I can push on now.

‘I am always available when the manager needs me. If I am starting or coming off the bench I will always be raring to go, so hopefully when I am on the pitch I can be as effective as in this game.’

Gallagher also revealed what Potter said to him when it was the midfielder’s turn to have a discussion with the new head coach.

‘He said I've got a really important role and I need to keep working hard, remembering who I am and what I am best at, and when given the chance to be as effective as I can be.

‘I just need to keep impressing the manager,’ Gallagher added. ‘There's a lot of top players in the Chelsea squad so it's not going to be easy to get the game time I want but I'm going to do my best to show that I'm ready, and I want to be as effective as I can when given the opportunity.’