Ex-Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville (Picture: Sky Sports)
Gary Neville was ‘bloody frustrated’ by Pedro Neto during Chelsea’s Premier League draw with Manchester City and says he will ‘never be’ of the calibre of former Blues winger Eden Hazard.
Enzo Fernandez’s injury-time goal earned managerless Chelsea a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Tijjani Reijnders looked to have earned Manchester City the three points with his first-half strike but the hosts failed to put the game to bed before conceding late on.
Neville insisted it was a ‘good moment’ and a ‘good end to the week’ for a Chelsea team who saw manager Enzo Maresca leave his post just three days ago.
The ex-Manchester United and England defender was unsure where Chelsea’s equaliser would come from and grew ‘frustrated’ with Neto during the game.
‘The big question was whether Chelsea had a goal in them and where was that bite going to come from?’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.
‘I said in the first-half that they’re a nice team. Pedro Neto, you said at the end that he was getting further into the match and he was bright.
Manchester City v Chelsea - Premier League
Pedro Neto during Chelsea’s draw at Man City (Picture: Getty)
‘But he bloody frustrated me like you won’t believe. He’s a smidgen away from being an Eden Hazard but he’s never going to be an Eden Hazard because he hasn’t got that killer instinct.
‘Hazard had that beautiful glide about him but he was also a killer and you’ve got to be a killer in those situations and Neto isn’t that.
‘It was really frustrating in the second half but Chelsea got the equaliser late on. Man City got what they deserved in the end for not killing the game off.
Manchester City v Chelsea - Premier League
Enzo Fernandez earned Chelsea a point (Picture: Getty)
‘Chelsea deserved a point, in a way, because of how they reacted, but they should have been killed off. The Man City players will need picking up because that was a bad one.
‘You don’t want to be six points behind [in the Premier League title race], that gap can be retrieved because there’s a long way to go but that will hurt Man City and Pep Guardiola.
Prefer us to the others? Then tell Google!
As a loyal Metro reader, we want to make sure you never miss our stories when searching for your news. Whether it is the latest politics news explained, live football coverage or a showbiz scoop.
Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
Our journalists work hard to deliver the most important stories from around the world
‘It’s a good moment for Chelsea and Calum McFarlane, it’s a good end to the week for them.’
Chelsea interim manager McFarlane hailed his side’s ‘character and resilience’ after the Blues returned to west London with a point.
"The group have been exceptional" 🙌Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane reacts after snatching a late point against Man City 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/B9pi0yYRtP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 4, 2026
‘We were exceptional in the second half,’ he said. ‘First half didn’t go as we planned.
‘That happens when you play against that level of opposition. They shaped up slightly differently and we were pinned back and didn’t have control.
‘We showed a lot of character and resilience. The lads took the information on board at half time. We changed the shape. We changed the press.
‘It allowed us to get a good foothold in the game. We deserved a minimum of one point.’
Asked whether he knows what will happen with the vacancy Chelsea manager’s position, McFarlane added: ‘I lead the team until I am told otherwise. It’s an honour.
‘I am really proud with the trust they have shown in me. There will be a new manger in soon. We area training tomorrow. I will take that session unless I am told not to. But it was a great occasion.’
Chelsea return to Premier League action on Wednesday night against west London rivals Fulham.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias injury update ahead of Man City vs Brighton
MORE: Rodri sends message to Arsenal after Man City’s draw with Chelsea
MORE: Jamie Carragher makes brutal Milos Kerkez claim as Liverpool and Fulham draw
Football Newsletter – In The Mixer
Punchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro's football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.