“Chelsea’s best player in the first half by a mile” - Gary Neville reserves special praise for 20-year-old Chelsea star after win over Crystal Palace

Manchester United legend Gary Neville heaped praise on Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto for his performance against Crystal Palace on Monday, February 12.

The Blues beat Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park in the Premier League. Jefferson Lerma gave the hosts the lead in the 30th minute and they led at half time. However, the west London side bounced back in the second half as Conor Gallagher scored via Gusto's cross in the 47th minute.

Gallagher then netted another goal in the first minute of stoppage time before Enzo Fernandez completed the scoring three minutes later.

Gusto, who played 84 minutes, had a good game, registering one assist. He also made four tackles, one interception, and one clearance and won 9/14 duels. The right-back completed 87/94 passes, made two key passes, lost possession 23 times, and completed 2/5 dribble attempts.

Commentating on the game on Sky Sports, Neville hailed Gusto's performance, saying:

“I thought Gusto was Chelsea’s best player in the first half by a mile. He’s started the second half really well.”

Gusto has filled in well at right-back this season following first-choice and skipper Reece James' injury issues. The Frenchman has contributed six assists in 23 games for Chelsea, having arrived from Olympique Lyon last summer for a reported fee of £30 million.

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Mauricio Pochettino reflects on Chelsea's win over Crystal Palace

The Blues avoided their third Premier League defeat in a row as they came back from being 1-0 down to win 3-1 at Crystal Palace on Monday. Chelsea had 78% possession and had 5/14 shots on target but majorly found it tough to break Palace down.

Reflecting on the performance, Mauricio Pochettino said that he was disappointed with his side in the first half, saying (via Chelseafc.com):

"After the first 45 minutes I was very disappointed with the performance. But that is the challenge every single game. We played a fantastic game against Aston Villa and then after that first 45 minutes, you feel really disappointed.

"We spoke at half time that we need to avoid approaching a game this way or playing in this way. We were so flat and we can't perform in this way."

He added:

"In the second half, we started really well, but I think it was a tough game. In the end, I’m really pleased because in this type of game, even if we didn't play 45 minutes in the way we wanted, it’s useful to build our confidence, analyse, and prepare to be consistent."

With the win, Chelsea returned to 10th place in the Premier League standings as they sit 13 points behind the top four. They will next clash against Manchester City away on February 17 before facing Liverpool in the EFL Cup final a week later.