'Everyone just panics' - Richards reveals Sky Sports gaffe during Chelsea match

The former Manchester City defender was on media duty for Sky Sports on Sunday, beginning with Aston Villa's trip to Chelsea.

It loomed as a bumper clash for Unai Emery's side as they looked to snap a seven-game winless streak across all competitions against an in-form Chelsea side.

However, the match was plunged into chaos in the opening minutes.

Well, at least for those watching at home.

Unfortunately for Sky Sports, the audio from their commentary team had cut out.

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It left the broadcasters scrambling for a quick solution, so they turned to their punditry team for the day.

Richards, Roy Keane, Daniel Sturridge and presenter Dave Jones were all in the Sky Sports studio at Anfield and had to provide instant cover.

The 36-year-old has now lifted the lid on the chaos that ensued, conceding he was 'absolutely winging it'.

"The sound went, and you know what it's like when you're at a broadcaster, everyone just panics about everything," Richards said on The Rest Is Football podcast.

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"'We've got to come back to the studio, we've got to come back to the studio'.

"So then Dave Jones basically just said we've just got to talk over the pictures. So Dave Jones starts talking through the game, then he goes to me: 'And Micah, what about Chelsea's system here?'

"So normally on co-comms you're at the game and you can see exactly what was happening.

"There was talk about whether they [Chelsea] were going to play three at the back, whether they were going to play four at the back, so I'm there going: 'Oh yeah, they're playing three at the back or four at the back', and I can't even see what's happening because you know what my eyes are like, and the TV's about 20-foot away, so I'm just absolutely winging it.

"If that was ever an audition, I failed miserably!"

Luckily, those at home weren't subjected to Richards' in-game chat for long as Bill Leslie and Alan Smith's commentary returned in time for Nicolas Jackson's seventh-minute opener for Chelsea.

It proved to be an afternoon in the capital to forget for Villa, as goals from Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer heaped more misery on Emery's side.

The 3-0 defeat also extended their winless run to eight, leaving Emery and his players with some serious soul-searching ahead of Wednesday's fixture against Brentford at Villa Park.

As for Chelsea, the win kept them in third although they boast an identical record to Arsenal and are only below the Gunners on the ladder due to alphabetical order.

Palmer's strike also sees him inching closer to a slice of Blues history.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink holds the club record for the most Premier League goals and assists in a calendar year when he racked up 36 goal contributions in 2001.

But Palmer looks on track to beat Hasselbaink's record by some margin, as his goal and assist against Villa took his combined goals and assists in 2024 to a tally of 34.

With six league fixtures remaining this year for the Blues, Palmer will have plenty of opportunities to beat Hasselbaink's mark.