Jermaine Jenas, the former Newcastle midfielder, had a night he would rather forget. Not only did his old club concede a last-minute goal, but he also found himself on the receiving end of a cheeky joke from Laura Woods live on TV.
Jenas was working for TNT Sports alongside Woods and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand during Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.
Before kick-off, they were joined by ex-Magpies goalkeeper Shay Given. Presenter Woods seized this opportunity to make a playful jab at Jenas.
Laura Woods, presenter at TNT Sports, said:
"We have a proper Newcastle legend alongside us now..."
Taken aback by this comment, Jenas could only reply with "wow" and jokingly threatened to walk off the set as Ferdinand chimed in saying "Get your coat, come back later".
Jenas and Given both had distinguished careers at St. James' Park
Jermaine Jenas made over 150 appearances for the Magpies in an iconic Premier League team that included Newcastle United legends like Alan Shearer, Laurent Robert and Gary Speed.
Shay Given, however, sits fourth on Newcastle's all-time appearance list with 463 games during his 12-year tenure at St James' Park.
While it is true that Jenas scored 12 more goals than the former goalkeeper - which was always expected given their respective positions - it is clear that Given's contribution to the club has been immense, and greater.
As far as the action on the pitch was concerned, Jenas, Given and many a neutral football fan in the UK would have been happy going into stoppage time as Newcastle led in Paris.
Fans and pundits alike outraged by VAR penalty decision
Then the evening took a turn for the worse when Magpies defender Tino Livramento was penalized following a controversial VAR review towards the end of the match. This decision left many fans and pundits fuming including Jermaine Jenas himself.
TNT Sports pundit, Jermaine Jenas, said:
"It is a shocking decision - not in any walk of life is that a penalty. What is he meant to do with his arms - wrap them around his back? I am fuming."
It was indeed a night to forget for Jermaine Jenas. From being the butt of Laura Woods' joke to witnessing his former club concede a last-minute goal due to a controversial penalty decision, it was certainly an eventful evening for the ex-Newcastle midfielder.
Despite this, fans can look forward to more engaging and entertaining commentary from Jenas in future TNT Sports matches, alongside his regular appearances on BBC Match of the Day.
As for Newcastle, while conceding this last-gasp equaliser to PSG will sting, they are still very much in with a chance of reaching the UEFA Champions League last 16 or at the very least making the Europa League knockout playoffs, which would be an outstanding achievement for the club.
