“He has something really big going on now,” Quinny warned us, as Big Sam gyrated provocatively across the Stadium of Light pitch, yanking off his jacket and threatening, for a terrifying moment, a celebratory full monty.

Reluctant gambler Mick Martin will rarely punt the full house: “You’d have put your kitchen sink on Hernandez to score there.”

Manchester United fell to another disappointing home defeat last night as rivals Manchester City scored three times and left with the points to continue their march towards a second title in three years.

IT was 6.48pm before Sky Sports News got the shot they wanted. Fernando Torres’ shirt ablaze outside Anfield.