Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher are the undisputed kings of FOOTBALL BANTA on Twitter.
The two former rivals have become colleagues and pals after working together as pundits on Sky Sports – and both apparently enjoy nothing more than winding each other up on social media.
And it seems that just like the football schedule, these two don’t take Christmas off.
The pair were discussing Monday’s fixtures when Neville predicted a victory for Liverpool who were playing at Sunderland.
Your team will win. They are playing too well to drop points today!! https://t.co/8UKGMeXfnv
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) January 2, 2017
Carragher replied, predicting three points for Manchester United as well.
Same with Man Utd, 3-0 today always win at West Ham. https://t.co/wN1YgJwEva
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) January 2, 2017
All very friendly so far. But it was after the final whistles had gone that the mickey taking began. Clearly aware that Liverpool had only drawn at the Stadium of Light, Neville asked:
2-0. How did your lads get on? Did they see it out? https://t.co/ZZ0sr2fbyB
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) January 2, 2017
Undeterred, Carragher hit back with his own cheeky reply:
Unfortunately not Gary, we didn't have Mike Dean reffing. https://t.co/A3plVPsOyL
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) January 2, 2017
Dean was the talk of Twitter after his performance in United’s 2-0 win at West Ham.
With just quarter of an hour played, the referee decided that Sofiane Feghouli’s attempted tackle on Phil Jones was worthy of a straight red card. It was a decision that seemed harsh to many watching, and ensured that Dean would be much-talked-about by football fans in the days ahead – and helped United win.
But even before this – before the game had kicked off – Dean had already managed to catch the eyes of many watching the game on TV.
As is always the way when West Ham play at home, the teams walked through a fog of machine-blown bubbles as they made their way on to the pitch. 48-year-old Dean led the way, the look of sheer disgust on his face letting everyone know exactly what he thought of the pre-match bubble show…
Things Mike Dean Hates #1,984: Bubbles#CelebrityRefs
(via @J_Westgarth)pic.twitter.com/jupsInbPxH
— Celebrity Refs (@CelebrityRefs) January 2, 2017
Perhaps the bubbles were still in his eyes when he decided to flash the red card in Feghouli’s direction 15 minutes later?
Either way, it didn’t stop Carragher using the ref as the instrument of his latest put-down. We are still waiting for Gary’s reply…