Ex-Liverpool defender risks analyst career by nearly swearing on live radio - 'A close call'

Stephen Warnock, the former Liverpool defender, has confessed to nearly letting slip an expletive while on air for BBC Radio.

The ex-Red is part of the BBC punditry team in Germany for Euro 2024 and found himself in a tight spot during live commentary. On Thursday, he was calling the action for the Group C game between Slovenia and Serbia in Munich, which proved to be quite the spectacle with both teams firing off a total of 26 shots.

However, as the first half neared its end and the match seemed to be losing steam, Slovenia's corner kick brought some excitement back into the game, much to the relief of Warnock and his fellow commentator John Murray. Warnock almost crossed the line with his reaction, narrowly avoiding a swear word, which didn't go unnoticed by the listeners.

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Murray set the scene with: "Slovenia will have a corner, just like that Stephen Warnock, it's come alive." To which Warnock replied: "It has come to life and thank... thank goodness for that!"

Fans were quick to react to Warnock's near-miss, with one fan commenting: "Stephen Warnock's BBC career just flashed before his eyes." Another shared their amusement: "Listened to this live at work and was chuckling away to myself."

One listener humorously remarked: "You can break the oppositions' ankles with a mid-syllable pivot like that." While another agreed with Warnock's sentiment: "That's exactly what the whole country was thinking." And another fan praised: "A great save... thankfully."

After a narrow escape on the pitch, Warnock commented on the incident, conceding he came close to an etiquette mishap. His tweet post-match read: "A close call. Was only trying to say thankfully but decided to change it and then it sounded even worse."

Following the exhilarating conclusion to the first-half, Warnock would have been thrilled with the second-half of the game. Slovenia nudged ahead thanks to Zan Karnicnik's finish from a precise low cross.

This left Serbia teetering on elimination, prompting an aggressive offensive response. The relentless search for an equaliser eventually bore fruit in the dying moments, as Luka Jovic soared to head in at a corner, providing immense relief to their coach Dragan Stojkovic.

"Serbs don't die so easily, Serbia never surrenders, maybe it was the end for some, but it wasn't for us. Dans did not want to accept losing to Slovenia, that's why the prize came. A difficult game if you look at some statistics," he said.

"Finally, the result that is active for us before the last round and the match with Denmark. When a goal is conceded in such an important game, then the most important thing is to remain calm and composed. We are alive, we didn't want to accept defeat and that rewarded us."