Mo Salah, Curtis Jones accused of cheating vs Chelsea as boss criticised
Liverpool stars Mo Salah and Curtis Jones have been accused of cheating in their recent match against Premier League rivals Chelsea. And the accusations emerged from one prominent English broadcaster, along with an extraordinarily well-known former England international and Manchester United defender. The Reds pair came under respective fire from Gary Neville and Richard Keys following supposed attempts to 'con' referee John Brooks during Sunday's clash at Anfield. So, what did the pair of notable personalities claim about the outstanding Merseyside duo exactly? And can the Blues team and their support feel legitimately hard done by after losing against Arne Slot's men?
In addition to criticism for winger Salah and midfielder Jones, the manager of the west London club was also deemed to have made a mistake this past weekend. CFC boss Enzo Maresca was criticised by former Blue Pat Nevin. Nevin, who now commentates and offers opinions on top-flight football, suggests that the Italian missed a trick versus Liverpool. In fact, the ex-Chelsea wingman believes the management may know something us fans don't. He was referring to a rarely seen but brilliantly talented Chels' star who has gone under the radar somewhat. Will Blues supporters now see more of the forgotten playmaker?
Why isn't Joao Felix playing enough for Chelsea and why didn't he feature in the Liverpool fixture when someone of his calibre and style was clearly required to create up top?
Something wasn't clicking for CFC up north, and it was noticeable. Although, Maresca went with Christopher Nkunku vs the Reds when he could have chosen to throw on Felix.
Aside from the simply sublime Cole Palmer having a bad day at the office, other typically influential Chelsea players just couldn't quite get it together. There was an impotency about the Blues, unfortunately.
Someone like the Portuguese may have swayed the match in the visitors' favour. Yet it wasn't to be for Maresca's men on the day, and Felix remained kind of inexplicably sat on the away substitute's bench.
And one-time Blue Pat Nevin agrees with that sentiment. The 61-year-old spoke to BBC Sport after the final whistle, with this verdict on the CFC gaffer:
"...there was one player I wanted introduced more than any other, Joao Felix.
- Pat Nevin
Is there something his managers know that I don’t?! Because, in terms of skill and creativity, he clearly deserves more chances if Chelsea are going to have a chance."
Did Mo Salah and Curtis Jones defraud the referee and ultimately cheat Chelsea out of points?
Neville's in-match assertion on Sky Sports' live coverage was that the Egyptian deserved a yellow card as a consequence to 'diving'. And Keys dished out a similar chastising to the Englishman:
"Gary Neville suggested on live Sky Sports commentary that Salah had deserved a yellow card for diving after his fall under a challenge from [Levi] Colwill.
- football365
And beIN Sports presenter Richard Keys agrees with Neville and reckons both Salah and Jones were out to “con” the referee."
feed