Gary Neville tears into Liverpool star who was ‘fighting for his life’ vs Arsenal | OneFootball

Gary Neville tears into Liverpool star who was ‘fighting for his life’ vs Arsenal | OneFootball

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·9 January 2026

Gary Neville tears into Liverpool star who was ‘fighting for his life’ vs Arsenal

Article image:Gary Neville tears into Liverpool star who was ‘fighting for his life’ vs Arsenal

Liverpool managed to hold Arsenal to a 0-0 draw in their Premier League clash on Thursday.

Going into the game, most people thought that the Anfield outfit would get absolutely battered by the league leaders but, in reality, that was far from the case.


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Of course, it wasn't the Reds' best-ever performance but the fact that they held Mikel Arteta's men to a draw despite not being in the best run of form is fairly impressive.

Indeed, Arne Slot's attack let him down once again by not having a shot on target but it surprisingly wasn't an attacker who left Gary Neville rather unimpressed.

Gary Neville slams Milos Kerkez for his performance against Bukayo Saka

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Article image:Gary Neville tears into Liverpool star who was ‘fighting for his life’ vs Arsenal
Article image:Gary Neville tears into Liverpool star who was ‘fighting for his life’ vs Arsenal

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Liverpool's defence has been under some major scrutiny this season.

Richard Hughes may have spent a hefty chunk of change on players such as Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez but in reality, they've not really improved the Reds' performance.

Both players are far too attacking for the sort of football that Slot wants to play which has put a lot of pressure onto Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

And, Thursday's draw against Arsenal was no different with Neville believing that Kerkez was being torn apart by Bukayo Saka.

Throughout most of the clash, Liverpool were on the back foot with questions being asked about whether or not they'd be able to keep Arsenal at bay.

One of the main reasons for them performing worse than the Gunners was Kerkez's performance with Neville sharing his thoughts on the performance of the defender.

"The strength of Saka in the middle of that attack in the box, you think he's going to get his shot away," he said on Sky Sports.

"Kerkez is fighting for his life, and he manages to do enough."

Liverpool must improve their performances in the second half of the season

After Slot and Hughes spent over £400 million on new players for Liverpool in the summer, most people thought that they'd be untouchable this season.

Indeed, things such as AFCON and injuries have hindered the Anfield outfit in more ways than one but even when everyone has been fit, they've seemed like half the team they were last term.

Plenty of questions have been asked about Liverpool's players and unless they manage to improve their performances soon, they may as well kiss their title hopes goodbye.

Indeed, the 14-point gap between Arsenal and the Reds is a massive mountain for Slot's men to climb but, if they can string a few decent performances together, their title hopes could re-enter the equation.

Of course, these are all ifs, buts and maybes at the moment but even if Slot and Hughes choose to add just one or two new faces to their ranks before the January transfer window slams shut, things could turn out an awful lot better in L4.

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