Chelsea suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season after losing 3-0 to Roma this evening.
The Blues went behind after just 39 seconds when Stephan El Shaarawy fired in from 25 yards and the Italy international doubled Roma’s advantaged 10 minutes before the break.
Diego Perotti sealed all three points for the Serie A side midway through the second half with Antonio Conte facing some hard questions regarding his midfield.
Cess Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko started the game but struggled to fill the void left by N’Golo Kante.
That is one of the poorest decisions I have ever seen in the Premier League
Phil Neville
Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater were recruited in the summer but Neville believes neither player have the capabilities of Matic and the former United star believes whoever decided on selling the Serbia international should lose their job.
“What's gone wrong for Chelsea? One word. Matic,” Neville told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It's as simple as that. The minute they sold Nemanja Matic was a mistake.
“When you had Matic sat in front of you, alongside Kante, there was protection.
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Antonio Conte's side suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season
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Phil Neville believes Nemanja Matic's move to United was a shocking piece of business by Chelsea
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“Whoever made that decision needs sacking. That is one of the poorest decisions I have ever seen in the Premier League.
“If you ask any of those Chelsea players who they would want back, they would say Matic.
“You replace him with someone who is going to do the same job! Bakayoko is not that player! He is not a holding midfield player.
“They didn't replace Matic. I wouldn't have let him out of the building, I would have chained him to the training ground walls!”
