Former Man Utd and England defender Gary Neville (Picture: Getty) Gary Neville believes Chelsea have left Xabi Alonso ‘a little short’ despite another huge spending spree at Stamford Bridge. The Blues’ perfect start to the new Premier League campaign came to an end on Sunday as Alonso’s side were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal. Chelsea summer signing and former Arsenal target Morgan Rogers gave the visitors the lead inside two minutes with his second goal of the season. Ex-Chelsea forward Kai Havertz equalised for Arsenal midway through the first half with a strike Neville felt new Stamford Bridge No. 1 Emiliano Martinez should have saved. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. The Premier League champions were the better side despite Chelsea’s threat in the final third and took the lead early into the second half through skipper Martin Odegaard. Chelsea threatened to equalise late on – David Raya denying Estevao with a superb save – but the Blues made the short trip back to west London empty-handed. Alonso oversaw another stunning spending spree in the summer, with Chelsea splashing out over £300m on more than ten new signings. Arsenal beat Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium (Picture: Getty) But Neville was surprised Chelsea did not sign a new central midfielder to replace Enzo Fernandez following move to Manchester City. ‘Chelsea didn’t get in a new midfielder after Enzo Fernandez left on transfer deadline day,’ Neville said on Sky Sports. ‘Enzo hasn’t really been replaced. ‘Moises Caicedo hasn’t recovered either and couldn’t play today so they have been left a little short in midfield.’ Emiliano Martinez in action against former club Arsenal (Picture: Getty) After months of talks, Chelsea finally sold Fernandez to Premier League rivals Manchester City on deadline day for an eye-watering £125m. Chelsea then tried to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco and Manu Kone from Roma but failed to bolster Alonso’s midfield options. That meant Reece James started in midfield against Arsenal, while another traditional right-back, Malo Gusto, was introduced from the bench. Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead (Picture: Reuters) ‘We knew Arsenal were the better team and they have proven that in this game,’ Neville added. ‘The question before today was, how close are Chelsea? And Alonso will be proud of what he has seen. There are obviously improvements to be made, but they gave it a right good go. ‘A lot of very good things and they will be frustrated and disappointed, but they may potentially look back on this game as a good moment rather than as bad as it may feel right now.’ Meanwhile, Neville also criticised Martinez’s role in Arsenal’s first-half equaliser. ‘I do think Emi Martinez has to save that,’ Neville said. ‘Chelsea have brought him in as a big personality goalkeeper, the big Argentine. ‘But I do think he has to save that, he’s slow to go down and will be disappointed given the level he’s been playing at.’ Assessing Martinez’s role in Arsenal’s first goal, Gunners legend Ian Wright added: ‘He takes a step to the right and Kai has done him at the near post. ‘It always looks bad getting beaten from that angle. It’s a very soft goal from Chelsea’s point of view.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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