Former Everton player Andy Gray made his long-awaited return to UK commentary for Liverpool's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid and was left stunned by one moment at Anfield
Former Everton footballer Andy Gray interacts with fans prior to a Premier League match
Former Everton footballer Andy Gray made his return to commentary on Wednesday night for Liverpool's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid(Image: Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Former Everton player Andy Gray made his return to commentary on Wednesday night as he covered Liverpool 's opening Champions League game of the season against Atletico Madrid, and turned heads with a blast from the past comment.
Gray featured over 60 times for the Toffees during his playing career, although he had more prominent spells with Wolves and Aston Villa. Post-retirement, he became one of the game's most iconic voices, commentating alongside Martin Tyler on Premier League games for almost two decades.
The former forward has not held a role in UK media since he was fired by Sky Sports over 10 years ago. For the last several years, he worked alongside Richard Keys in Qatar for beIN Sports. The pair left the Middle East at the end of last season and have embarked on their next career move in the form of a podcast.
Gray, now 70, has also landed a job with radio station talkSPORT, and it was confirmed this week he would be making a return to the gantry for Liverpool's Champions League opener against Atletico. He partnered Jim Proudfoot for the broadcast.
Unfortunately for Liverpool, the Reds fell behind in the first half, and it was none other than Marcos Llorente with the goal. The Atletico star has a strong track record of scoring against the Reds, so much so that one of his dogs is actually called Anfield.
Luckily, it was not the decisive moment, and the Reds were able to regain some momentum before Dominik Szoboszlai scored a crucial equalizer before the break. Summer loan signing Ronald Araujo provided the assist with a clever flick into the path of his teammate.
But it was Liverpool's winning goal that got everyone, including Gray, talking. After opening up about his contract situation in a pre-match press conference, Alexis Mac Allister proved why a new deal may be worth considering with a stunning strike to put Iraola's men in front.
The goal even left Gray, a former Blue it must be emphasized, surprisingly impressed. "I didn't think I'd be saying this tonight," he said on commentary after the goal.
"But what a hit, son! A wonderful, wonderful strike."
Much like last season, it means Liverpool has won its opening Champions League match by a fine margin. But it's a promising start to its European campaign under Andoni Iraola.
It also means Liverpool's unbeaten run at the start of the new season continues. After drawing their opening two matches against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, the Reds have now secured back-to-back victories against Ipswich Town and Atletico.
The Reds return to domestic action at the weekend with the visit of Fulham at Anfield. Then, midweek action will follow against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.
After the international break, Liverpool will resume its Champions League campaign with a relatively kind run of fixtures taking the club into 2027. LASK, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Club Brugge, Porto, Lens and Inter Milan are all to come in the league phase.