Whether it's the truth or an ingenious piece of quick-thinking, Dele Alli's excuse for his crude middle-finger gesture during England's World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on Monday is a good one.
The Tottenham midfielder was caught on camera making the unsavoury sign during the Three Lions' 2-1 win at Wembley.
Initially, the pundits were quick to pile in on the 21-year-old – who has earned a reputation as someone with somewhat of a short fuse – believing he had targeted referee Clement Turpin.
However, manager Gareth Southgate – and later Alli himself – insisted that actually he was sharing a joke with former Tottenham team-mate Kyle Walker.
Just to clarify, the gesture tonight was a joke between me and my good friend Kyle Walker! Apologies for any offence caused! Great win 2niteSeptember 4, 2017
So, how did the Manchester City full-back corroborate Alli's version of events? With a comical GIF on Twitter showcasing British sitcom character Mr Bean also "flipping the bird", of course.
Morning September 5, 2017
With friends like that…
