'Man Utd ... LOL' - Balotelli, Szczesny & the top 10 Twitter taunts
Posted Tuesday, September 23, 2014 by Goal.com
The Liverpool forward could not hide his enjoyment of the Red Devils' collapse against Leicester City on Sunday - Goal picks out some of the best social media jibes
Following Mario Balotelli's short and not-so-sweet assessment of Manchester United's shock 5-3 loss at Leicester City, Goal takes a look at other taunts from footballers over social media ...
Mario Balotelli/Manchester United
The Italian striker had plenty of reason to enjoy United's incredible implosion at Leicester on Sunday. Being both a former Manchester City player and now a Liverpool man looking to ensure an advantage over the Red Devils in the race for the top for and beyond, Balotelli could not help but laugh as Louis van Gaal's side surrendered a two-goal lead at the King Power Stadium.
Sadly, his chuckling prompted some disturbing responses from United fans, with Merseyside Police now investigating racist abuse sent to Balotelli.
Edin Dzeko/Manchester United
United have had their fair share of problems this season, as with last, but perhaps their most awkward moment so far under Van Gaal - though the Leicester result rivals it - was their 4-0 obliteration by third-tier MK Dons in the League Cup in August.
Though the Red Devils were yet to win under the Dutchman at the time, nobody predicted the incredible scoreline at stadium:mk and City striker Edin Dzeko, watching the match, could not hide his amusement.
Wojciech Szczesny/Tottenham
Arsenal visited White Hart Lane in March wanting a derby victory over Tottenham to keep on track their push for the Premier League title and that was exactly what they got, Tomas Rosicky's early goal going unanswered.
Sucked into the derby atmosphere, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny gathered his team-mates for an on-pitch selfie after the final whistle, celebrating in front of the away fans to rub it in for their north London rivals.
Andros Townsend/Szczesny
Szczesny's post did not go down too well with Tottenham fans, nor with the players - Spurs winger Andros Townsend shot a pointed barb the Pole's way when Chelsea took Arsenal to pieces in an astonishing 6-0 victory later that month.
Ashley Cole/Arsenal
Ashley Cole's arrival on Twitter in 2012 raised some eyebrows. As one of the least popular men in the estimations of Arsenal supporters ever since his move to Chelsea, the left-back was seen as asking for trouble in joining the site - and trouble he soon received.
The then-England star met it head-on, however, and when confronted with abuse by angry Gunners fans, posted a picture of himself posing with the club's recently won Champions League trophy, pointing out how many titles he had won since making the move across London.
Ryan Babel/Howard Webb
Shortly before his time at Liverpool ended in a loan to Hoffenheim, Dutch forward Ryan Babel got himself into hot water with the Football Association for venting on Twitter after his side's 1-0 defeat by Manchester United.
Former World Cup final referee Howard Webb had been in charge of the game and infuriated the Reds by awarding Sir Alex Ferguson's side a first-minute penalty at Old Trafford and later sending off Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. It drove Babel to post a mocked-up picture of Webb wearing a United shirt, adding "And they call him one of the best referees? That's a joke. SMH" - which he soon deleted before apologising to Webb for an "emotional reaction".
Jose Enrique/Manchester United
Balotelli was not the only Liverpool player to have revelled in United's struggles so far this season. Van Gaal's men were beaten by Swansea City on the first day of the new Premier League campaign and Jose Enrique was watching eagerly.
With the Red Devils expected to be a resurgent power under the new manager, the Spanish left-back greeted their defeat happily with a picture of the scoreline to rub it in.
Joey Barton/Thiago Silva
Never one to hold his tongue on Twitter, Joey Barton was even more forthright than usual when he criticised Paris Saint-Germain star Thiago Silva's performances during his own spell on loan at Marseille. When the Brazilian later responded to the comments, Barton attacked again, this time calling him a "ladyboy".
The former England international's posts earned him a suspended ban as Marseille rushed to apologise on his behalf. Silva has since captained his country to the World Cup semi-finals.
Marco Rojo/Gimnasia
Marcos Rojo may now be a Manchester United player but he has not forgotten his roots. Before turning out for Spartak Moscow and Sporting Lisbon, the Argentina international came through the ranks at Estudiantes in La Plata.
His old side eliminated local rivals Gimnasia from the Copa Sudamericana earlier in September and Rojo was quick to post a photo of an old 7-0 victory for Estudiantes in the same fixture, remarking that "the city is in order".
Carlos Vela/Athletic Bilbao
While Athletic Bilbao were preparing their impressive new stadium, the Basque club had to, for one match only, play a home game at Real Sociedad's Anoeta - based in San Sebastian - rather than Bilbao.
Sociedad forward Carlos Vela could not help but poke fun at his side's rivals, remarking that he had never seen the stadium so empty. His club's fans seemed to enjoy it.
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