Conor Gallagher pens heartfelt apology to Chelsea after Leicester dismissal

Conor Gallagher has penned an apology after being sent off in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Leicester City.

The midfielder was dismissed in the first half, picking up two yellow cards for late challenges.

Despite leaving Chelsea with just 10 men to complete the game, the Blues came out victorious thanks to a Raheem Sterling brace.

The 27-year-old scored the first in the early stages of the second half, striking from distance before his shot was deflected over Danny Ward in the Leicester goal.

Sterling soon doubled the lead, getting onto the end of a fantastic Reece James low cross to convert from close range.

Chelsea conceded late on to Harvey Barned, and were lucky to escape the match with three points as the Foxes created several opportunities.

Taking to Instagram after the match, Gallagher penned an apologetic message to the Chelsea fans, staff and his teammates as he believed he let them down.

He wrote: "Proud of the team for digging deep today and winning with 10 men.

"Personally, I want to apologise to my teammates, staff and the fans.

"I take full responsibility for the rash decision leaving them with a huge challenge for the rest of the game. Thankfully, they came through."

This will no doubt please head coach Tuchel, who urged the midfielder to take responsibility for his mistake despite being sold short by a pass from Marc Cucurella before his second yellow.

"Of course, he knows it was a huge mistake," Tuchel admitted

"We spoke briefly after the game and things like this can happen.

"It's not purely his fault alone because it's a set-piece for us and it's sloppy how we take set-pieces at the moment."

Gallagher will now miss Chelsea's midweek trip to Southampton as they look to push on off the back of the performance against Leicester.

The victory sees Chelsea having started the season with two wins, a draw, and a defeat as they look to challenge at the top of the Premier League table.

Tuchel will have a selection decision to make on the south coast, with Mateo Kovacic only fit enough to come off the bench against Leicester.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be thrown into midfield alongside Jorginho as the German decides how to best replace Gallagher.