Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney couldn’t hide his delight as Liverpool slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Galatasaray in their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie on Tuesday night.
The early 5.45pm kick-off in Istanbul saw Mario Lemina’s header seal a shock win for the Turks, exposing more cracks in Arne Slot’s side amid a season of underperformance.
While punditing on Amazon Prime ahead of Newcastle vs Barcelona, Rooney’s reaction was caught on camera when host Gabby Logan revealed the scoreline.
The former Maan United and Everton star broke into a wide smile and nodded knowingly, glancing at co-pundits Les Ferdinand and ex-Liverpool man Daniel Sturridge. When Sturridge called it “a surprise,” Rooney cheekily interjected: “Is it?”
Sturridge fired back, laughing: “Really? Really, Wazza? This is what I’m saying, we’re here to do a job tonight, and you’re already putting daggers in!”
Rooney protested, “I’m not!” as the panel erupted in laughter, before Sturridge noted the disappointment but pointed to the return leg.
Eagle-eyed fans spotted the moment instantly, with clips going viral—Rooney’s glee a classic rival jab, especially given his past spats with Virgil van Dijk over “lazy” criticism of the Reds’ leaders.