There wasn't much for Liverpool to laugh about at Vicarage Road on Saturday but even captain Virgil van Dijk's serious game face turned to a smirk after his Watford counterpart Troy Deeney cracked a gag in the tunnel before kick-off.
The Reds suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to the Hornets, who had gone into the fixture in the Premier League's relegation zone, their first loss in the competition for 44 games and 422 days.
Deeney himself netted the third goal and perhaps in some small way, his antics as the sides prepared to take the field played their part in massaging the visitors' egos and putting them on the back foot?
With regular skipper Jordan Henderson sidelined with a hamstring injury, Van Dijk took the armband and took his place at the front to lead out the Premier League leaders, who despite the stunning loss are still closing in on their first League Championship in 30 years with just four more wins needed to clinch the title.
To the Dutchman's left stood Deeney, who has been caught by Sky Sports' cameras, making a joke with the Watford mascot.
After patting the youngster on the shoulder, the 31-year-old Brummie points his finger in Van Dijk's direction and tells the fan: “If you'd paid a bit more money you could have stood there next to him!”
The ice cold expression on the Reds centre-back's face immediately cracks and he turns away from the camera to glance at his team-mates behind him and seemingly compose himself.
It was a bit of light relief on a rare bad day at the office for Jurgen Klopp's side but there will surely be plenty more smiles before the season is out for both Van Dijk and the rest of the squad – and for all the right reasons.
