Arsenal legend David Seaman has lavished praise on Chelsea’s Pedro Neto after the Gunners faced Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on November 10. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli (60′) and Pedro Neto (70′) helped the two sides play out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League Round 11 fixture.
Pedro Neto joined Chelsea from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August for a reported transfer fee of €60 million (via Transfermarkt). His impressive work rate, combined with a penchant for going forward, has made the Portuguese an important asset for Enzo Maresca.
On his Seaman Says Podcast, David Seaman and former English centre-back Sam Allardyce analyzed Pedro Neto’s performance against Arsenal. Allardyce commented that he had been blown away by Neto’s pace while facing him in the past. Here is how the conversation went:
Seaman: “I was more afraid of Neto.”
Allardyce: “Neto yeah, I’ve experienced him when I’ve been on the touchline going ‘oof’ he is quick isn’t he?”
Sam Allardyce added:
“It’s hard to pick up a player who exploits that space away from where his normal position would be which is wide right. He goes into a central position and everyone says ‘I’ve got my man,’ And if you hesitate it takes too long. It was a very good finish though I must admit.”
Pedro Neto has played 15 games for Chelsea across competitions, scoring three goals and creating three more.
Alan Shearer has weighed in on whether the Gunners can still win the Premier League after the draw against Chelsea. The stalemate at Stamford Bridge was Arsenal’s fourth draw of the Premier League season in addition to two defeats. At present, Mikel Arteta’s side are fourth in the Premier League table with 19 points in 11 games. Liverpool lead the table with 28 points.
Last season, they lost the Premier League to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on the final matchday of the season by just two points. After 38 games, Manchester City finished with 91 points while Arsenal were at 89.
Shearer said about their title chances on The Rest Is Football podcast:
“Yeah, it’s a lot. But I think they’re capable of going on a really good run. And you would hope, from their point of view, they’ve got through their injuries a couple of weeks back, come back after the international break and go on a four or five-game run where they can win every game and they can do that.”
He continued:
“So I wouldn’t rule Arsenal out just yet. I think it was a decent result for them today, getting their point – it would have been a disaster if they had been beaten. But getting their point, I still wouldn’t rule them out,” added the former Newcastle United striker.
Arsenal’s next clash in the Premier League will be against Nottingham Forest at home on November 23. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team are the only side to have beaten Arne Slot’s Liverpool this season.
