You could imagine the Sky Sports executives' expressions as they heard soccer pundit Jamie Carragher at halftime during Manchester City's 1-0 win at Newcastle on Wednesday.

"It's not just Newcastle, but the Premier League in general, when they come up against the top six, certainly at home, it's becoming embarrassing," he said.

"The Premier League now is becoming a bit of a joke league, with the top teams being so far ahead of the ones at the bottom. For those clubs, it's almost like they are accepting they are going to lose the game, as long as it is only one or two-nil. The Premier League has been built on every team having a go, that's why everyone around the world wants to watch it. Will they keep watching if they keep seeing football like that?"