Manchester United produced one of their worst performances of the 2023/24 season with a 4-0 battering by an inspired Crystal Palace side at Selhurst Park. The Red Devils were totally outclassed and dominated, even though their brilliant travelling fans kept singing all night long despite the embarrassment on the pitch.
At the end of the game, most of the United players acknowledged their fans’ efforts before heading back into the dressing room. As they were making their way back, the cameras were able to catch Antony, Andre Onana and Mason Mount deep into some conversation. Both the Brazilian winger and goalkeeper had their mouths covered as they were saying something to the dejected midfielder.
This seemed to really tick off Jamie Carragher, who was co-hosting Monday Night Football as part of Sky Sports’ crew. As the cameras panned from the players back into the Sky Sports’ studio, a ‘blink and you might miss it’ moment happened with Carragher that got many people talking.
That is because some fans actually feel that the ex-Liverpool captain might’ve discreetly lisped the word ‘c***’ at Antony or his partners after that exchange. It’s a really slim window in which it all happens and Jamie’s exact words can’t actually be heard as he whispered it so silently. But a few amateur lip-readers feel that he exactly said that word to voice his disgust towards the Brazilian winger.
However, it’s unlikely that Carragher would risk attracting controversy and face potential punishments from Sky for saying this. Of course, Sky Sports’ pundits are strictly banned from using such abusive language – irrespective of how heated a match gets. Moreover, Jamie has had his share of past controversies – including when he spat at a young fan a few years ago – so he would want to stray well clear of ruining his reputation even further.
As it’s been noted out, it’s likely that Carragher’s lisping has been wrong transcribed. He probably vented his frustration by saying ‘Honest to God’ or something of that sort – a term often used by one to voice their disgust in a more controlled manner.
With that being said, Carragher did not really hold back in his assessment of the Red Devils’ loss to Palace. He also took aim at Antony after that incident in a bit of a fiery rant, remarking: “Just get off the pitch!’ Whispering behind your hand, you’ve been absolutely awful. He’s probably talking about one of the players or somebody else, or the set-up, or the manager, just get off the pitch. Shut up and get in. You’ve been beaten 4-0, whispering, talking – honestly, embarrassing.”
Carragher’s anguish towards Antony could be because of the Brazilian winger scoring an important goal for Manchester United in their win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, which ended the Reds’ aim of winning that trophy. But he’s also being a ruthlessly direct critic here and his words towards Antony is probably one in the minds of many United fans around the world too.
At this point, all Antony or any other under-fire Manchester United player can do to silence critics like Carragher is start winning matches consistently. They can begin that by winning their remaining Premier League games and the FA Cup final against Manchester City, doing something which can keep haters like Carragher silenced until at least throughout the summer break.