Schoolboy defender — Gary Neville on Trent Alexander Arnold

Gary Neville, the former Manchester United defender turned pundit, has criticized Liverpool defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk for their “schoolboy defending” in the Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Arsenal started the game brightly and took an early 2-0 lead through goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, with Alexander-Arnold and van Dijk involved in the defensive lapses that led to the goals. Mohamed Salah later scored a goal for Liverpool to reduce the deficit.

Neville expressed his disappointment with the performance of Liverpool’s defenders during the match, saying, “You can defend them because they have some credit in the bank from their performances but it’s getting really difficult. Even on that one there, Trent doesn’t sprint back. Van Dijk’s idling across. Legging someone up. It’s schoolboy stuff.”

The former England international defender also criticized Alexander-Arnold’s lack of urgency in getting back to defend Jesus’ goal, where the Brazilian was left unmarked to head in Martinelli’s cross.

Despite Liverpool’s defensive struggles, they managed to salvage a point from the match with a late goal from Bobby Firmino in the 87th minute. However, Neville’s comments highlight the need for improvement in Liverpool’s defensive play if they hope to challenge for the Premier League title this season.