"I wouldn't like to play against him" - Gary Neville wowed by Mykhaylo Mudryk's Chelsea debut against Liverpool
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has given a flattering verdict on Mykhaylo Mudryk's debut for Chelsea against Liverpool on Saturday (21 January).
Just like he did with Joao Felix, manager Graham Potter handed Mudryk his debut in the very next game following his official transfer to the club. Felix's debut ended in a sending-off in a 2-1 loss against Fulham earlier this month.
In comparison, Mudryk fared a little better against Liverpool. He was brought on from the bench in the 55th minute for Lewis Hall.
Shortly after coming on, the Ukraine international's pace caused James Milner to make a rash tackle which resulted in a yellow card. Mudryk constantly had the Reds defenders pegged back and even had a good opportunity to score when he hit the side-netting.
Seeing Mudryk for 10 mins I wouldn’t like to play against him!
Having seen Mudryk play just 10 minutes in a Chelsea shirt, Neville declared that he would not fancy playing against him. The former Manchester United right-back tweeted:
"Seeing Mudryk for 10 mins I wouldn’t like to play against him!"
The 22-year-old cost the Blues £88.6 million in transfer fees, including add-ons, where they beat Arsenal in a tightly-contested race for the player. The former Shakhtar Donetsk winger's speed and dribbling ability were on full display against Liverpool.
Manager Jurgen Klopp had to take off Milner for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 72nd minute to handle the threat posed by him. The match ultimately ended in a goalless draw at Anfield.
Considering it was an away game, the Blues would perhaps be more pleased with the result. However, it hasn't done much good for either team.
Liverpool are in eighth position on the table with 29 points from 19 league games. The Blues, who have played one more game and have an inferior goal difference, sit 10th with an identical points tally.
Potter gives verdict on Chelsea's draw against Liverpool
Manager Graham Potter said that he saw positives from Chelsea's draw against Liverpool.
Summary of Liverpool vs. Chelsea 🤝 https://t.co/Ghb6MMsS53
The English tactician, of course, wanted his team to go for the maximum bounty, but he didn't have a lot of complaints about the game. Speaking to BT Sport after full-time, he said (h/t Football.London):
"Performance was good, happy with the team and the energy. Happy with a lot, obviously we wanted to win, but it's a clean sheet. We move forward.
"First half we were decent. Little bit unlucky not to get the goal. Throughout, we had good energy. They started the second half well. Overall, positive day apart from that we wanted the three points."
Chelsea kept more possession (53%) but managed two shots on target — one fewer than the hosts.