Jamie Carragher names the Chelsea player who has impressed him the most this season

Jame Carragher says Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has been fantastic this season

Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher feels Conor Gallagher has been top of his game this season and his brace against Crystal Palace was another testament to how impressive the midfielder has been this campaign.

The 23-year-old netted a brace and rescued three points for the Blues. Gallagher, who also opened the scoring in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in the FA Cup fifth round, has now scored three goals this season.

The hosts took the lead in the 30^th minute when Jefferson Lerma’s stunning strike out of the box beat Dorde Petrovic, while the Blues failed to find the back of the net in the first half. Gallagher stepped up to give the Blues much-needed breathing space in the second half.

Conor Gallagher covered 13km against Crystal Palace and scored the first brace of his Chelsea career.

He's won possession in the final third more times than any other player in Europe's big five leagues this season (31).@Carra23 was a believer before the game even started. 🫡

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 12, 2024

The midfielder equalised in the 47^th minute before putting the Blues ahead in the 91^st minute after a cut-back from Cole Palmer. Enzo Fernandez wrapped up the match in the 94^th minute to ensure all three points for the Blues.

Gallagher’s performance has heaped praise, and Carragher was the first to laud his performance against his former side where he was on loan. The former defender told Squawka:

“Gallagher is the one who has impressed me the most for Chelsea this season. When he went on loan to Crystal Palace, I didn’t think he was good enough for Chelsea, but he’s almost certainly proven himself to be good enough for this Chelsea. He’s been the standout player and proven everything to Pochettino, proving he’s been good enough to start for Chelsea week in, week out.”

Gallagher now has three goals this season.

What Gallagher does on the pitch is something you should praise because he doesn’t stop running, and his ability to keep pressing until he wins the ball back gives Pochettino a man who can add intensity to his approach. His statistics against Palace further demonstrate why Pochettino rates him highly.

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The England international, day by day, has shown why he deserves to remain at Chelsea and why Pochettino has shown his trust in Gallagher. There is still some improvement the midfielder needs to make, and once he does that, he will be one of the best midfielders the Blues have.