Gary Neville blasts Chelsea winger who’s then axed by Mauricio Pochettino at halftime

Gary Neville heavily criticised a Chelsea player during their first half against Crystal Palace.

During his commentary for Sky Sports, he pointed out that Noni Madueke’s error on the edge of the box was the reason the hosts managed to score and take the lead in the match.

A disorganised Chelsea side appeared out of sorts in the first half on Monday night and received what they merited when Jefferson Lerma unleashed a powerful shot into the top right corner from distance.

Mauricio Pochettino fielded a nearly identical lineup to the one that dominated against Aston Villa last week, which included another start for Madueke. Much of the attacking threat came from his side once again.

However, it was at the opposite end of the pitch where he experienced his most significant setback of the half, losing possession just moments before the goal. Neville was especially critical of the 21-year-old for his role in conceding the opening goal.

“Madueke, he’s scruffy on the ball. They were messing around, but this [the strike] is brilliant. It’s a rocket,” Neville said on Sky Sports.

As a result of Madueke’s poor first half, he has been substituted at halftime being replaced by Christopher Nkunku.

Chelsea, having registered 0 xG, will need to elevate their performance to a completely different level in the second half if they hope to salvage anything from this game and maintain their impressive run of form against Palace.