Neville criticises 'useless' Liverpool front line after Chelsea loss
Arne Slot's side were dealt a third consecutive loss in all competitions by Chelsea and Gary Neville was disappointed by their forward play.
Gary Neville criticised Liverpool's forward line after the Reds fell to a third consecutive defeat with their 2-1 loss away to Chelsea.
Liverpool had fought back after Moises Caicedo's early goal thanks to Cody Gakpo's equaliser, but conceded another stoppage-time goal, this time from Estevao.
Four of Liverpool's seven Premier League games this season have seen a 90th-minute winning goal, with this the second consecutive match to see it scored by the opposition, after Crystal Palace last weekend.
After their equaliser, Arne Slot's side managed just six shots, none of which were on target, while Chelsea, who were forced into two second-half changes in defence, struck the woodwork before Estevao clinched all three points.
In fact, Liverpool managed just two shots on target throughout the game, despite accumulating 2.0 expected goals (xG), with the other coming from Ryan Gravenberch six minutes into the second half.
Alexander Isak endured a quiet outing, contributing just 0.1 xG from his sole attempt, while Mohamed Salah created four chances, while also having two shots worth 0.3 xG.
And Neville says he expected more from the reigning champions in terms of a comeback after they found their equaliser.
"I thought after they scored, I was really disappointed in their level of performance," Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
"A lot has been made of Liverpool's defensive work and rightly so, but that's not why they've lost this game. They've lost this game because, in the last 15-20 minutes, the midfield players and the forwards were absolutely useless.
"I thought their front players were terrible. Salah is sublime. How can you criticise the consistency, and reliability, and brilliance of him, but some of the decisions of him, when he comes inside, and you think he should pass it, or you think he should do something better with it, and his finishing was poor.
"Isak, I thought he'd started the game sharp, but didn't quite get into it. Wirtz, when he came on, I was disappointed with him. He looks very immature in his knowledge of how to play the game.
"That's the most disappointing last 15 minutes I've seen from Liverpool in a long time because I think when Chelsea have that back four in play, you've scored a goal, so you've got to go on and win that game.
"For Liverpool, they've got some work to do, but they've got experienced players, they've got world-class players and individuals in their team, and they've got a great manager.
"They'll sort it out, but the full-backs have to step up, Wirtz has to start playing and understanding how he's going to sort of connect with Isak and the other forwards in the team."
Liverpool do not go into the international break top of the table, with Arsenal’s win on Saturday taking them to the summit. The Reds could be third by the end of the weekend if Crystal Palace beat Everton.
