Mark Chapman claimed Alan Shearer was 'absolutely delighted' Sunderland were first up on Saturday night's show
Alan Shearer laughing on Match of the Day
Alan Shearer saw the funny side of Mark Chapman's Match of the Day quip
(Image: BBC)
Alan Shearer laughed off claims from new Match of the Day presenter Mark Chapman that he was keen to talk about West Ham United rather than Sunderland on Saturday night's show.
The programme began with Chapman remarking that Shearer was "absolutely delighted that Sunderland are first up" while introducing the highlights.
Then, when the studio analysis began, it was Wayne Rooney talking through their clips, rather than the former Newcastle United captain and manager.
Shearer did not speak for almost three minutes as Rooney answered every question from Chapman, with his only comment being to describe Dan Ballard's header as 'fabulous'.
Chapman then moved them on to analysing West Ham by saying to Shearer: "So in the pre-programme meeting, you were quite keen to talk [about] West Ham rather than Sunderland."
The quip drew a laugh from him, who took it well, and it is not unusual for pundits on the programme to split the analysis between themselves when they show clips from both teams.
Speaking about the Hammers, the Newcastle icon said: “I would be [concerned]. That’s Graham Potter’s biggest defeat as West Ham manager.
"They haven’t replaced Kudus; there are two new players in the starting lineup. Callum Wilson came on, but Bowen was their main threat, particularly in the first half.
"The second half would be the one to worry about because, once they conceded that first goal, they folded like a pack of cards.
“There was no spark, no energy, and there was certainly no reaction at all, and that would be the worrying thing already.”
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