Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville couldn\u2019t resist veering off topic to take aim at Liverpool after Saturday\u2019s defeat to Bournemouth, a lacklustre display which the prominent pundit claimed to have been indicative of their entire season.<\/p>\n
Liverpool were well below their best throughout an underwhelming 3\u20132 reverse<\/a> on the south coast over the weekend, yet it still took a scrappy goal in stoppage time for Bournemouth to emerge with all three points.<\/p>\n Virgil van Dijk was slack at the back while the entire team seemed to be taken over by a collective brain fog as they willingly played on with 10 men for six first-half minutes while Joe Gomez was receiving treatment off the pitch. Bournemouth established a 2\u20130 lead during this damning period.<\/p>\n Speaking ahead of United\u2019s statement victory over Arsenal<\/a> at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, Neville was drawn to distraction by the downfall of his long-term rivals. \u201cWe\u2019ve said before that United have had the opportunity to go into the top four but there\u2019s no doubt the teams around them are struggling at the moment,\u201d he beamed while in discussion with Sky Sports.<\/p>\n \u201cLiverpool last night, what a soft underbelly they\u2019ve developed in the last few months.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were so critical of United for dropping points against teams like Burnley and Bournemouth. Now Liverpool<\/a> have gone and done it and they\u2019re the reigning champions, so they have to pick up their fair share of criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it was a really poor result for them last night. They looked a bit soft and not there. You\u2019ve been able to get at them all season.\u201d<\/p>\n Arne Slot, Virgil van Dijk Make Same Unusual Excuse<\/p>\n Liverpool’s remain winless in the Premier League in 2026. pic.twitter.com\/MVhVSXSRuT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Slot initially tried to promote of a sense of accountability after the defeat. \u201cThe only ones to blame are ourselves,\u201d he told assembled media after the latest Liverpool setback extended their winless run to five Premier League<\/a> games. Yet, he also took issue with the conditions down on the south coast.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not completely fair to Virgil to blame him for the first goal,\u201d Slot argued, referencing a bizarre passage of play which saw the Liverpool captain have his pocket picked by Alex Scott who teed up Evanilson for Bournemouth\u2019s opener. \u201cYou can see throughout the game how much impact the wind had. He wasn\u2019t the only one who struggled with the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dijk also cited the elements. \u201cThe first goal I think it was a difficult ball to judge in the circumstances. The wind was tricky,\u201d he moaned to Sky Sports. \u201cI take full responsibility even though it was a difficult ball to judge.\u201d<\/p>\n READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND GOSSIP