"That's terrible" - Gary Neville slams Arsenal attacker for what he did late in the game against Liverpool
Pundit Gary Neville slammed Arsenal's Kai Havertz for squandering a chance in their Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, December 23.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in a crucial clash in the title race on Saturday. The Gunners opened the scoring in the fourth minute as Gabriel Magalhaes headed in via a Martin Odegaard cross.
Mohamed Salah equalised in the 29th minute, getting on the end of a long ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold and beating Oleksandr Zinchenko to score past David Raya.
Liverpool created plenty of chances to score throughout the game but failed to capitalise on them. Arsenal, meanwhile, had a few chances of their own but lacked a clinical edge. Some of the Gunners' chances fell to Havertz late in the game.
The German failed to test Alisson from a tight angle as his shot safely went across the goal for a goal kick. In the 81st minute, he received the ball in the box and went down on contact with Alexander-Arnold. The referee rejected Havertz's penalty appeal.
Neville, who was on commentary on Sky Sports, criticised Havertz for the missed chance and the penalty appeal, saying (via The Boot Room):
“That’s terrible from Havertz. He’s got to do better than that.
“He’s asking for a penalty, I don’t think it is.”
Aside from that, Havertz completed 24/28 passes and both of his dribble attempts against Liverpool. He won just five of his 14 duels and made one interception and one tackle.
Arsenal retain Premier League's top spot as they hold Liverpool to a draw
Arsenal led the Premier League going into Matchday 18, sitting just a point above Liverpool and the status remained the same after their clash. Both sides had 13 attempts on goal with the Merseysiders having three on target while the Gunners had two.
The Gunners shocked the hosts with some early pressure which resulted in a goal by Gabriel in the fourth minute. It woke the Reds up, who started dominating the game.
It paid off in the 29th minute as Trent Alexander-Arnold found Mohamed Salah on the right wing. The Egyptian comfortably beat Oleksandr Zinchenko and unleashed a fierce strike past David Raya's near post.
Liverpool created plenty of chances to get a lead but the best of them came in the 73rd minute. A counter-attack saw the Reds outnumber Arsenal 5-2 but Alexander-Arnold hit the crossbar.
Arsenal will next take on West Ham United at the Emirates on Thursday, December 28. The Merseysiders, meanwhile, will travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley on Boxing Day (December 26).