Gary Neville criticises Liverpool player who ‘missed an opportunity’ to impress vs Chelsea
Liverpool lost their grip on top spot in the Premier League after Estevao’s dramatic late winner gave Chelsea a 2-1 win.
Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea marked their third successive defeat in the space of seven days, with questions now being asked of Arne Slot’s side.
Meanwhile, Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0 to leapfrog Liverpool into pole position before the October international break.
Liverpool fans were critical of Connor Bradley for his performance against Chelsea, with the right back being taken off at halftime by Slot.
Gary Neville highlights ‘missed opportunity’ by Connor Bradley in Chelsea loss
The Liverpool fanbase weren’t the only ones to criticise Bradley’s performance, with Gary Neville highlighting the right back’s poor showing on his podcast.
Neville was asked about whether Slot made the right call subbing Bradley off, and the ex-Manchester United captain said: “Oh yeah, absolutely, there was the yellow card, but they needed to get back into the game also.
“Connor Bradley started the game well in the first five minutes on the ball. He did some nice things on the near touchline.
“But I said during the first half, the old adage, of ‘nothing down our side’ and I don’t think Liverpool’s right side thinks that way, it hasn’t for a number of years,” Neville continued.
“But, Connor Bradley had a real chance today with Szoboszlai going back into midfield and Frimpong on the bench.
“Bradley is a player who I think has real talent and potential, but he didn’t handle Garnacho well in the first half.
“Garnacho got the better of him. You can see when someone is shading a game, and Garnacho was winning on points.
“Then he gets booked, and has another little nibble at him just before halftime, and then you get to the situation whereby he’s in the dressing room and watching from the bench.
“He will be down in the dumps after that because this was his big day today, and he’s missed an opportunity.”
Liverpool have big problems despite hefty summer investment
Bradley isn’t the only defensive problem Liverpool have, with Ibrahima Konate, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong all struggling with early-season form.
Frimpong and Kerkez were purchased for a combined £70 million in the summer, and yet both have looked unconvincing in the early stages of the season.
| Liverpool’s summer spending | Transfer fee |
| Alexander Isak | £125m |
| Florian Wirtz | £116m |
| Hugo Ekitike | £69m |
| Milos Kerkez | £40m |
| Jeremie Frimpong | £30m |
| Giovanni Leoni | £26m |
Liverpool have kept one clean sheet in the Premier League this campaign, away at Burnley, and defensively, Slot’s side look uncharacteristically vulnerable.
The Dutchman will hope his side can fix their defensive frailties across the international break, before facing Manchester United on 19 October.