Conor Gallagher received shocking rating for 'inexplicable' performance in Champions League
Conor Gallagher's whirlwind start to life at Atlético Madrid came to an end on Wednesday night.
The former Chelsea midfielder had a night to forget as Atlético lost 4-0 in the Champions League to Benfica.
Gallagher has started five of Atlético's last six games in all competitions, but was named as a substitute for the clash in Lisbon.
He replaced Koke at half-time with a goal for Benfica, but could do little to stop the Portuguese team's second-half rout.
Spanish outlet Marca provided a damning analysis of Atlético's failure and Gallagher's “inexplicable” performance.
Marca gave the England international a rating of four out of ten, partly due to conceding a penalty for a foul on Vangelis Pavlidis that was dispatched by the evergreen Ángel Di María.
Gallagher wasn't the only one to receive a lower rating: seven other players received the same score, while the remaining stars received a score of five.
The 24-year-old will hope to quickly put Wednesday's disaster behind him and has the chance to do so when Atleti travel to Real Sociedad on Sunday in LaLiga.
Diego Simeone's men are fourth in the standings and five points behind the leader Barcelona after last weekend's 1-1 draw against neighbors real Madrid.
Atlético are unbeaten in LaLiga having won four of their eight league games, however a succession of draws appears to be the team's Achilles heel as they have played four this season.
Despite Wednesday's slip-up, Gallagher is enjoying life in the Spanish capital and recently revealed that he feels “loved and appreciated” at the club after his Chelsea departure in August.
“Chelsea is a great football club, one of the biggest in the world, along with Atlético,” he told The Athletic last month.
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“But I have taken that exciting step of playing in the Champions League and fighting for trophies. It just gives me even more confidence and happiness to play my best football.”
“I have felt very loved and appreciated, which is important for any footballer,” he added.
“I am very happy to be here and I am adapting well. I loved my first weeks. I knew that Atlético was always a huge club, one of the best in La Liga and that did well in the Champions League. So I was excited to join.”
