Chelsea FC v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Conor Gallagher might not have started for Tottenham on Saturday night, but he made a bigger impact than most after replacing James Maddison in the 51st minute during Spurs’ 2-0 win.
A first home defeat for Xabi Alonso as Chelsea boss, only a second win for Spurs in 42 league and cup matches against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and only a third win in 19 against Chelsea, home and away.
Chelsea were outclassed tactically, but it was not until the 77th minute that Alonso’s side surrendered the deadlock. Mike Penders punched into his own net, but Spurs deserved to win. Mathys Tel got a second.
Conor Gallagher stat embarrasses half of Chelsea’s starting XI
Gallagher entered the fray at 51 minutes, replacing an injured James Maddison. The scoreline read 0-0, and Spurs were in danger of allowing Chelsea back into the game after producing the better first 45.
By the end of the game, after Gallagher’s introduction, Spurs had scored twice, and Gallagher had won an impressive five duels. Remarkably, the England star won more duels than half of Chelsea’s starting XI.
Josh Acheampong also won five duels, while Pedro Neto, Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill all won six – but at the same time, Neto, Caicedo and Colwill had all lost at least four. Gallagher had only lost two duels.
But for Maxence Lacroix, Jorrel Hato, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers, Geovany Quenda and Cole Palmer, Gallagher’s no-nonsense cameo should have them looking in the mirror. Palmer, especially.
Where would Conor Gallagher rank among Chelsea’s midfielders?
Henderson was signed for a reason, in that the veteran offers leadership and experience – while also providing a quality player ageing like a fine wine. Caicedo is one of the best midfielders in world football.
But for Argentina star Barco and former Man City ace Lavia, it has been a struggle – even if Lavia has been excellent with Belgium. Reece James is injured, but where would Gallagher rank in Chelsea’s midfield?
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Metric (Per 90 Mins) Conor Gallagher Moisés Caicedo Jordan Henderson Valentín Barco Roméo Lavia
Accurate Passes % 87.2% 91.1% 88.6% 83.9% 90.4%
Progressive Passes 3.91 4.82 5.25 4.43 4.70
Tackles Won 2.74 2.34 1.25 1.77 2.35
Interceptions 1.17 1.61 0.75 0.88 1.56
Ground Duel Win % 64.5% 58.2% 46.2% 48.0% 56.5%
Chances Created 1.17 0.88 1.25 1.33 0.78
Fouls Committed 2.35 1.61 0.50 1.33 1.56
The stats show that Caicedo is, by some distance, the best of the lot. If he isn’t highest in a particular stat, he is second or third. Both defensively superb and technically excellent, with his passing stats at the top.
But if you need a tough-tackling midfielder that can still chip in with the odd goal, Gallagher is perfect. Even this season, he tops Chelsea’s midfielders for tackles won and ground duels won. Fouls, though, too.
Back in January, when Spurs signed Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, Chelsea could have done a whole lot worse than re-signing the Cobham graduate from Diego Simeone’s side. Now, he’s exacting revenge.