Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville revealed that he was left frustrated by Pedro Neto’s display during Chelsea’s 1–1 Premier League draw with Manchester City on Sunday.
The 25-year-old struggled to leave his mark as the Blues battled to a hard-fought draw at the Etihad, where Pep Guardiola’s side controlled 58 per cent of possession and went in ahead at the break through Tijjani Reijnders’ opener.
Chelsea were outplayed during the opening period, but changes made by interim head coach Calum McFarlane shifted the balance and helped them regain a foothold in the contest.
Bringing Andrey Santos into central midfield freed Enzo Fernandez to operate higher up the pitch, and the World Cup winner eventually found himself inside the six-yard box to score the equaliser.
In reality, Chelsea could have been level earlier. Fernandez had slipped Neto through in a good position, only for the winger to blaze his effort over the bar.
That miss extended Neto’s goal drought to six matches, five of which he has completed in full, and his frustration was evident, particularly among fans who would have expected more from their £54m signing.
Gary Neville was ‘frustrated’
Fernandez shared that feeling, reacting angrily before gesturing toward the goal Neto should have hit, while Gary Neville was brutally critical in his post-match assessment of the winger’s display.
Speaking about Neto on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said, ‘I said in the first half that they’re a nice team. Pedro Neto, you said at the end that he was getting further into the match, and he was bright. But he bloody frustrated me like you won’t believe.
He’s a smidgen away from being an Eden Hazard, but he’s never going to be an Eden Hazard because he hasn’t got that killer instinct. Hazard had that beautiful glide about him, but he was also a killer, and you’ve got to be a killer in those situations, and Neto isn’t that.’
Just days after a 2–2 draw at home against AFC Bournemouth that resulted in Enzo Maresca’s dismissal, McFarlane guided the side to a dramatic late draw away to Pep Guardiola’s City.
Chelsea now turn their attention back to league duty with a visit to local rivals Fulham on Wednesday, January 7, before heading to Championship outfit Charlton Athletic three days later for their FA Cup first-round tie.
