Dave Hendrick: “We won the guard of honour” | OneFootball

Guard of Honour, Poor Display

“We won the guard of honour, to be fair,” said Dave Hendrick with a lilt of gallows humour, setting the tone for a Post Match Raw episode that seethed with frustration, detachment, and deep-running rivalry. Liverpool, crowned champions, strolled into Stamford Bridge and were promptly humbled 3-1 by Chelsea. But as was made plain by the trio of Trev Downey, Dave Hendrick, and Hari Sethi, this wasn’t just about a game lost. It was about what wasn’t found.

Rivalry Without Respect

Liverpool’s relationship with Chelsea has never been bathed in warmth. Hendrick was unequivocal: “Chelsea’s a club with zero class, a fan base with zero class, and a club built on industrial-level cheating.” He referenced the Abramovich era, the lack of consequences, and the strange immunity still enjoyed by the club under new ownership.

Changes That Changed Nothing

Too many changes, too little cohesion. As Hendrick put it, “Today we learned that too much change is a bad thing.” Curtis Jones, the only one of Liverpool’s usual midfield rotation to start, had what Hendrick called “a terrible afternoon,” describing his passing as lax and damaging throughout the match.

Endō received rare praise: “I thought Endo was our best player,” said Trev, though he also noted the limitations, adding, “He’s never going to be the guy who’ll hold the whole midfield together on his own.”

The forward line fared no better. Jota came under heavy criticism from Hendrick: “He is appalling… literally has nothing to offer and hasn’t for ages.”

Palmer Praise and Punditry Bias

Hari Sethi’s ire turned on Gary Neville and Sky’s coverage. “The sycophancy around a player who… scored a penalty 20 seconds before the end after the game was won—I just found it remarkable.” The fawning over Cole Palmer, contrasted with the routine underrating of Salah, fuelled Sethi’s simmering dissatisfaction: “Really remarkable stuff from Neville and the whole Sky team.”

What Comes Next

There was no catharsis, no final flourish. Even Sethi admitted, “Hopefully it gives even more credence to the business we need to do in the summer.” Players on the fringes, given a stage, failed to rise. Trev noted, “Some of the lads who got the chances weren’t able to grab it with both hands and have that champion panache about them.”

Yet amid the gloom, there was humour. Sethi joked, “If we can’t get to 94 points, maybe the funniest thing would be just to lose all our games between now and the end of the season in a glorious mess.”