Gary Neville pulled no punches on commentary during Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal, labeling Pedro Neto’s dismissal as ‘ridiculous’ after the winger picked up two yellow cards in just three minutes.
Chelsea continue to let themselves down at key moments in games. Pedro Neto‘s red card against Arsenal set a joint record for a Premier League season, with the Blues now reaching nine.
At a time when Chelsea were already losing, to go and commit a completely needless foul that would undoubtedly result in a yellow card was seriously idiotic.
We gave Neto a 0/10 for his performance, as no one else at the club seems to call the players out for their constant lapses of concentration.
Gary Neville wasn’t best pleased with Neto either after his decision.
Liam Rosenior has claimed that Pedro Neto was a threat before his red card 🤔
Pedro Neto's stats vs Arsenal
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Gary Neville spot on with his Pedro Neto assessment
Speaking live on Sky Sports commentary, Neville couldn’t believe what he had seen when Neto flew into a challenge over on the left-hand side of the field.
“It’s a ridiculous challenge from Neto when you are on a red card; he can have no complaints whatsoever.”
What makes it even worse is the fact that, behind the scenes, Chelsea refuses to even admit that there is a discipline issue, which seems ludicrous when you’ve just tied a record for red cards.
The fact that it’s all different players makes it even worse, too. It shows that there’s a widespread issue going on throughout the squad at Stamford Bridge.
Who deserves the blame for Liam Rosenior’s first Premier League defeat?
Rosenior? Pedro Neto? Robert Sanchez?
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Chelsea needs to introduce harsh punishments
Chelsea’s disciplinary record has reached a crisis point under Liam Rosenior, with Pedro Neto’s dismissal against Arsenal marking the club’s ninth red card of the 2025/26 season.
To curb this nonense the club should pivot from standard FA fines to a tiered internal penalty system that hits both the pocket and playing time. Financial sanctions should be doubled for unprofessional dismissals, such as Neto’s second yellow, with the proceeds donated to the Chelsea Foundation to turn player errors into community gain.
More importantly, Rosenior must introduce non-selection consequences. A player who receives a red card for petulance rather than a tactical necessity should face an internal two-match ban on top of their FA suspension. This would force the league’s youngest squad to respect the standards of the club.
Without these stricter deterrents, Chelsea risks breaking the all-time Premier League record of nine red cards in a season and sabotaging their push for European football.
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