Gary Neville didn’t hold back in his criticism of Chelsea after their defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, insising the “blue billion pound bottlejobs” should have “gone for the throat” in extra time.
An entertaining game with numerous chances for both sides was decided by a Virgil van Dijk header deep into extra time, but Neville believes Chelsea failing to get the job done in 90 minutes will haunt the players.
The Sky Sports pundit described the Blues as “blue billion pound bottlejobs” before adding: “Those Chelsea players will regret that extra time for a long, long time.
“I thought they played quite well and punched hard in the first 90 minutes, but in the real crux of the game, in extra time, where they had Liverpool by the scruff of the neck with those young kids, not having the answer in the last 10 minutes of normal time…
“They didn’t turn up, they didn’t perform, and you can’t do that. You cannot do it. What was it with them? Credit to Liverpool, but I’m really disappointed with Chelsea in that extra time.
“You can lose any final, you can lose any game of football, (but) you cannot play like that. You cannot shrink, go back, particularly when Liverpool have five kids out on the pitch. You have to go for the throat.”
Watching the departing Klopp celebrate with his side, Jamie Redknapp, the former Liverpool captain, wondered: “How do you follow that? How do you follow Jurgen Klopp? Who would try to come to Liverpool after what he’s done and what he’s created?
“It’s virtually impossible. It is. The guy is just such a leader of men. He’s led a city, every Liverpool fan around the world has looked up to that man and what he’s achieved, and turned around a club that was at the time struggling, and made everyone believe in what he is trying to achieve.
“And even those young players he’s given opportunities to, the belief that he’s got in all of them, he’s just an incredible human being.”
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