Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville revealed he was frustrated by Pedro Neto’s performance during Chelsea’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester City on Sunday.
The 25-year-old struggled to make his mark as the Blues battled to a hard-fought draw at the Etihad, with Pep Guardiola’s side controlling 58 percent of possession and taking the lead at half-time through Tijjani Reijnders’ opener.
Chelsea were outplayed in the opening period, but the changes made by interim head coach Calum McFarlane straightened the balance and helped them regain a foothold in the match.
Moving Andrey Santos into central midfield allowed Enzo Fernandez to operate higher up the pitch, and the World Cup winner eventually found himself in the six-yard box to score the equalizer.
In reality, Chelsea could have been level earlier. Fernandez had slipped through Neto in a good position, but the winger blasted his effort over the bar.
That miss extended Neto’s goal drought to six games, five of which he has completed in full, and his frustration was evident, especially among fans who expected more from their match. Signing for £54 million.
Gary Neville was ‘frustrated’
Fernandez shared that sentiment and reacted angrily before gesturing towards the goal Neto should have hit, while Gary Neville was brutally critical in his post-match assessment of the winger’s performance.
Speaking of Neto The Gary Neville Podcast’, he said, ‘I said in the first half that they are a nice team. Pedro Neto, you said at the end that he was getting further and further into the game, and that he was smart. But he frustrated me like hell, like you won’t believe.
He is a little bit away from being an Eden Hazard, but he will never be an Eden Hazard because he doesn’t have that killer instinct. Hazard had such a beautiful float around him, but he was also a killer, and in such situations you have to be a killer, and Neto is not that.’
Just days after a 2-2 home draw against AFC Bournemouth that resulted in the sacking of Enzo Maresca, McFarlane guided the side to a dramatic late draw away to Pep Guardiola’s City.
Chelsea now turn their attention back to the league with a visit to local rivals Fulham on Wednesday, January 7, before heading to Championship team Charlton Athletic for their FA Cup first round tie three days later.
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