Liverpool’s defeat at Stamford Bridge might sting even more after Gary Neville’s assessment of Chelsea’s performance and what it could mean for us moving forward.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, the former Manchester United defender claimed that Chelsea’s energy and intent were what ultimately “won them the game”, even with six centre-backs unavailable.
Neville said: “Football matches are won by intent. Chelsea kept going and kept attacking – they dominated possession, touches in the box and shots on goal.”
He added that the Blues’ midfield of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez “ran all over Liverpool’s midfield” and that Caicedo was the best player on the pitch by a mile.
The Ecuadorian – once a transfer target for us before joining Chelsea for £115 million – opened the scoring with a thunderous strike.
Neville went further, claiming Caicedo is now “the best midfield player in the league”.
While Neville admitted it’s “not time to panic”, he called out Liverpool’s creative players, saying they were “absolutely useless” in the final 20 minutes.
He questioned how we failed to exploit Chelsea’s makeshift defence of Reece James and Hatau once both first-choice centre-backs went off injured.
Jamie Redknapp was concerned about the performances of our full backs, as we struggle to click into gear this season.
Gary Neville said during commentary that he was confused by Ibou Konate’s decision making and it was the away time that looked more like a side with a defensive injury crisis.
For us, the performance highlights a worrying trend – the champions have now conceded stoppage-time winners in back-to-back league games.
Arne Slot will know better than anyone that our next fixture, against Manchester United, cannot follow the same script.
Chelsea, meanwhile, climb to sixth despite their injury crisis, with Neville suggesting this resilience could make them dangerous when their full squad returns. It’s a warning we can’t afford to ignore.
You can watch Neville’s comments via Sky Sports Premier League on YouTube:
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