Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister found himself the butt of the jokes from the hosts during Newcastle United’s celebrations after winning the Carabao Cup.
The Magpies staged an open-top bus parade on Saturday as they celebrated their 2-1 win over Liverpool earlier this month. The victory marked their first major trophy win in nearly 70 years, while also wrecking Arne Slot’s hopes of winning a double in his first season at Anfield.
An estimated 150,000 fans lined the streets of Newcastle to join in the celebrations on Saturday, with some of the city’s local celebrities also making an appearance. Alan Shearer was there, as were TV stars Ant and Dec.
Readers in the US might not be too familiar with the pair, but rest assured they are instantly recognizable to people on UK shores as the hosts of some of the country’s biggest shows, including Britain’s Got Talent.
The pair were handed hosting duties for much of the parade, having been at Wembley to see their side end their long wait for some silverware. And as they spoke to goal-scorer Dan Burn, Mac Allister found himself in the firing line.
It should be said at this point to people not as familiar with Ant and Dec that they are recognizable for their diminutive statures – you can see where this is going.
(Image: Getty Images)
Mac Allister was of course the man tasked with marking Burn from Newcastle’s corners at Wembley, a task which seemed to be more than mismatch as the defender towered over him. That of course led to the England international heading home the opening goal just before half-time, from which Newcastle never looked back.
Mac Allister’s attempts to defend against Burn were inevitably brought up as Dec, looking up at the defender, interviewed him on stage during Saturday’s parade.
“Can we talk about the goal and when the ball comes over and when Mac Allister’s stood there, it’s like me marking you!” he joked.
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Ant then added: “He stood no chance really, did he?”
Burn laughed at the suggestions, having revealed after the win at Wembley that he had targeted Mac Allister. “I knew Alexis [Mac Allister] wasn’t looking at the ball and I’d be able to get a jump on him. I don’t get many so I saved it for a big occasion,” he said.
Liverpool.com says: Thank god Liverpool is back in action this week and we can – hopefully – start to move on from those defeats at Wembley and in the Champions League soon. The Reds have had to put up with being the butt of the jokes over the past couple of weeks, but with the Premier League title surely heading to Anfield, they’ll ultimately have the last laugh.
