After Tottenham's 2-0 win over an insipid Manchester United side last week, there was no doubt which Sky Sports pundit would be allowed to speak first. Roy Keane has long been made for great television. He plays his part of the grumpy old man to perfection and specialises in pithy putdowns. But even by Keane's standards, what followed was brutal.
"I think Man United are the new Spurs," the Irishman began, before pausing momentarily to allow the weight of his words to resonate. Fellow pundit Andros Townsend filled the silence with a little laugh, but the former United captain was deadly serious. And coming from Keane, the Spurs comparison was the ultimate insult.
During his trophy-laden career, the Premier League's most dominant midfielder had next-to-no respect for Tottenham. At United, Spurs were not seen as worthy adversaries. The Londoners were considered too weak to win titles, so often beaten before they had even set foot onto the field.
Ahead of one encounter between the two teams at Old Trafford, legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson stepped into the dressing room and simply said, "Lads, it's Tottenham." Job done, game won.
So, it killed Keane to see how easily United rolled over in the second half of Saturday's game, and the post-match reaction of Bruno Fernandes only worsened his mood.