Gary Neville has slammed Cole Palmer over his post-match chat with Pep Guardiola in the immediate aftermath of Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday night.
Chelsea took an early lead at the Etihad Stadium after Nicolas Jackson pounced on a mistake from City’s new £33.6 million signing Abdukodir Khusanov to give Noni Madueke a tap-in from close range.
Josko Gvardiol struck before half time to pull City level and the Premier League champions went in front after the break when Erling Haaland capitalised on another mistake from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Phil Foden then found the net late on to secure City’s win, which puts the Premier League champions fourth in the table, while Chelsea are a point behind in sixth place.
Palmer struggled to make an impact against his former club and after the full-time whistle, the 22-year-old was seen smiling and having a lengthy chat with Guardiola on the pitch.
Neville, however, has criticised Palmer for his chat with Guardiola and has told the Chelsea midfielder that was ‘being played’.
‘I want to say something about Cole Palmer, he was talking to Pep Guardiola on the pitch right at the end of the game and he was smiling with him, Pep Guardiola does that,’ Neville told Sky Sports.
‘Cole, you’re being played, you’re being played here, you didn’t do enough out on that pitch in the second half.
‘He’s an amazing player, absolutely brilliant, but you know something, those Chelsea fans that travelled today, the 3,000 or 4,000 in that far corner wanted better than that, they don’t really want to see you conversing with your opposition manager and smiling at the end of the game.
‘I’m not being old school here, but there’s something about that.
‘I thought Pep Guardiola’s playing you here, I know he’s had him, but he didn’t play him here and he sold him.
‘Having a conversation inside I’m not against that, obviously he’s played for the manager. But I just felt at the end there’s something about it I didn’t feel was right from a Cole Palmer perspective.
‘I know why Pep Guardiola’s done it, that’s what Pep Guardiola does, but if I’d lost 3-1 away from home and had been as disappointed as I am and Cole Palmer, I expected more from him in the second half.’
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