Sky Sports pundit Jay Bothroyd attracted criticism on Saturday after slamming the performance of Manchester United in their Premier League win against Burnley.
In a wild Premier League match at Old Trafford, the Clarets had twice equalized before Manchester United required a penalty kick from Bruno Fernandes deep into stoppage time to win 3-2.
Although Burnley, according to manager Scott Parker, started slowly and might have been buried by the time Lyle Foster poked in their first equalizer, the Red Devils’ first win of the season left them searching for answers in the final days of the transfer window.
Fans swiftly took notice of Bothroyd’s criticism of United’s celebration on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday Fan Zone, speculating that the one-cap England international may not have been paying as much attention as they were.
“To be honest, that was a great performance from Burnley” said Bothroyd. “[United] still got the win, which is important.”
Asked about the players’ celebration after Fernandes’ stoppage-time spot kick, Bothroyd’s hitherto rambling vacuum of insight took a predictable turn.
“That was embarrassing, for me,” he yelped. “I have to be honest, that was embarrassing. Like, why are you celebrating after a 3-2 win against Burnley?”
The former Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Muangthong United striker made a hilarious comment that probably gave Mark Goldbridge, whose actual name is Brent Di Cesare, a bat signal.
The YouTube taker and self-described Manchester United supporter blasted Bothroyd’s criticism, jumping to the Red Devils’ defense.
“The only thing embarrassing is him sitting there on Sky obviously talking about a game he didn’t watch, lol,” Goldbridge wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Did Burnley play well? At halftime, they ought to have been behind three points. The frightening issue is that propaganda like this feeds agendas.
“It is a bit embarrassing; it is only Burnley. You haven’t just avoided relegation on the last day, but it was a six-pointer in the relegation battle,” replied one fan after deciphering the tweet, but the reaction wasn’t always barbed in Goldbridge’s direction.
“The agenda on United is incredible,” posted another with a limited understanding of at least three of those six words. “With better finishing, Burnley would have been crushed in the first half.”
Said another, who might take football too seriously: “These people hate Man Utd with passion. They glow when we lose and become bitter when we are happy at the slightest. This is why we need to protect ourselves from them.”
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