By DANIEL DAVIS
Published: 08:50 EST, 1 December 2024 | Updated: 09:09 EST, 1 December 2024
Sky Sports' pundits at Anfield were bizarrely forced to step in to commentate over the opening few minutes of Chelsea's match against Aston Villa.
A major technical hitch at Stamford Bridge led to the audio cutting out, scrambling host David Jones into an impromptu - and awkward - segment live on air.
Roy Keane, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge also took to the mic during the first four minutes of the game while the broadcaster worked on a fix.
But the commentary from the stadium returned in the nick of time with Bill Leslie and Alan Smith calling the action when Nicolas Jackson scored the opening goal.
Presenter Jones apologised for the technical issues shortly after kick-off.
'Well, unfortunately we have a few technical and audio issues which you can hear at Stamford Bridge, or not hear more to the point,' Jones told viewers.
'So you are left with us, this could be interesting, commentary from Anfield on Chelsea against Aston Villa.
'You always ask for more time to talk about football so this is our time, Micah.'
A short discussion on the early knockings in west London then ensued before Jones handed back to lead commentator Leslie after roughly three minutes.
'Disappointingly, it seems like our errors are fixed at Stamford Bridge,' he joked.
The picture from the stadium cut out as the game got underway but returned after a few seconds - albeit without sound.
Viewers were still able to watch the early exchanges but without the scheduled commentary from the team in position at the ground.
The match was the first on Sky's Super Sunday, ahead of Manchester City's mouthwatering visit to Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Jackson slotted the Blues into the lead on seven minutes after touching in Marc Cucurella's cross before Enzo Fernandez doubled the lead with aplomb.