Manchester United legend Gary Neville has slammed Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after the 2-1 loss to Arsenal. He said that the Spaniard had a poor day on the pitch and was not good enough against the league leaders.
Sanchez claimed that he was pushed by an Arsenal player during the corner that led to Jurrien Timber's goal in the second half. Replays showed that no player was in direct contact with the goalkeeper, and he was not pushed.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville highlighted that Sanchez was not pushed by any Arsenal player despite his complaints after the second goal. He claims that the Chelsea goalkeeper knew it himself, but still tried to switch the spotlight off him and said (via Metro):
"Robert Sanchez is all over the place, he’s whinging unnecessarily in my view. Watch Sanchez, not a chance, he’s nowhere near it. It’s really poor goalkeeping. He misreads the flight. He’s had such a poor day, he really has. On the ground and in the air. He will know deep down he wasn’t fouled, he had to create something because he got the flight wrong. Chelsea were doing well up until that point but that swung the momentum."
Talking about the Gunners, Neville praised Mikel Arteta's side for finding a way to get all three points from the match. He said that they were playing under a lot of pressure following Manchester City's win on Saturday, February 28, and said:
"They found a way. It’s never easy to play second, especially when Man City get the points on the board. It adds pressure, it does. But they got over the line. It’s a good day for the Gunners."
The Gunners have moved back to five points clear of the Cityzens, but have played a game more than Pep Guardiola's side.
Arsenal fight Chelsea to walk away with all three points
William Saliba opened the scoring for the league leaders in the first half, before a Piero Hincapié own goal saw Chelsea pull level just before half-time. The Blues also wanted a penalty second before they pulled leve, as Declan Rice had moved his arm to make contact with the ball for the first corner.
VAR and the referee brushed aside the appeal, but the second corner saw Liam Rosenior's side pull level. The Blues started the second half well but could not capitalize, and they fell behind in the 66th minute through a Timber header.
Liam Delap scored in the final minutes for Chelsea, but Joao Pedro was offside in the buildup and the goal was ruled out.