Bilic praises Gallagher after West Brom debut

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Boss Slaven Bilic said Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher made a great impression on his West Brom debut in the Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat against Brentford.

The 20-year-old midfielder played the full 90 minutes for the Premier League newcomers, scoring his spot-kick with a cheeky Panenka penalty and earning high praise from his new manager despite the 5-4 defeat on penalties after a 2-2 draw.


England Under-21 international Gallagher has yet to make a first-team appearance for the Blues, but last season started 44 games in the Championship during loan spells with Charlton Athletic and Swansea City. He signed a new five-year contract at Chelsea before joining the West Brom on loan

Bilic said: “With Conor, for a young guy to come here in his first game, the second half he was excellent.

“He showed exactly what we wanted from him. He is a dynamic player, busy player.

“He is good on the ball. He is always on the move. He had a couple of shots, for a midfielder a lot of shots. The keeper made a great save from him, so really, really good.”

Former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic also made his Baggies debut against the Bees after recently returning to English football and gave a steady display before coming off just before the hour mark.