Liverpool players branded ‘absolutely useless’ after latest Premier League defeat at Chelsea 

Gary Neville branded Liverpool forwards ‘absolutely useless’ following their disappointing 2-1 loss at Chelsea. 

Moises Caicedo opened the scoring for the hosts in the 14th minute as he fired a stunning 20-yard drive past goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. 

Liverpool improved their display after the break and were rewarded when Cody Gakpo reacted quickly in the six-yard area to score just after the hour mark. 

However, Chelsea had the last laugh as Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian turned home Marc Cucurella’s cross deep into stoppage time, ending their three-game winless run in the English top-flight. 

Former Manchester United star Neville was scathing in his assessment of the Reds’ performance, dubbing their forwards and creative players ‘absolutely useless’. 

“I thought after they scored, I was really disappointed in their level of performance,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“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, their creative players, their players in the final half of the pitch, the midfield players and the forwards were absolutely useless.”

It has been a miserable week for Liverpool. They were condemned to a 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace last weekend after an injury-time winner from Eddie Nketiah. 

Manager Arne Slot’s side subsequently produced a lacklustre display at Galatasaray to come away with a 1-0 loss in the Champions League in midweek. 

Their poor form continued on Saturday as Chelsea returned to winning ways at their expense. 

Liverpool’s defeat allowed Arsenal to climb to the top of the Premier League table following their 2-0 home victory over West Ham United. 

Given the club’s record spending in the summer, criticism of their recent performances is justified. 

Slot will hope to inspire a comeback after the international break when Liverpool welcome Manchester United to Anfield in a blockbuster Premier League clash.