Some of the papers might have believed that Wayne Rooney had indeed been knocked out during a play-fight in his kitchen with friend and Sunderland footballer Phil Bardsley.
But the Manchester United captain made complete light of it with his goal celebration against Tottenham yesterday:
A few weeks ago on Team 33, we turned our thoughts to players not celebrating - or over-celebrating against their former clubs. Thanks to Rooney, it also got us thinking about other pointed celebration which had the aim of sending a message, particularly at the media.
Gazza's dentist chair
As you may have noticed, the English press enjoys laying into their national team. Before Euro 96 the tabloids got stuck into England about a "dentist's chair" drinking game played by the England squad on a trip to Hong Kong.
When Paul Gascoigne scored England's second goal against Scotland on home soil at the tournament, the Geordie genius made a pointed reference to the dentist's chair with his celebration.
Robbie Fowler's sniffing the line
Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier might have tried to pass it off as a "grass-eating celebration" taught to him by team-mate Rigobert Song, but the FA knew better and slapped Robbie Fowler with a ban for his infamous sniffing the goal-line celebration in 1999.
Fowler's reason for performing it was due to the abuse he had been getting from Everton supporters at the Merseyside derby with fans making false accusations about drug abuse. Since the white goal-line resembles a line of coke, Fowler decided to send a message back.
Tim Cahill's handcuff
Boxing the corner flag used to be Cahill's usual celebration style (Nick Potts / PA WIRE)
The Australian is one of the most likeable footballers on the planet, often coming across as a thoroughly decent guy.
However, he did court controversy in 2008 with a handcuffs celebration in support of his brother who had been jailed for grevious bodily harm.
The Australian later apologised.
Jimmy Bullard's mimicry
Bullard will go down as one of the great characters of recent times, with his light-hearted way of going about things.
That culminated in one of the funniest moments in recent Premier League history.
In 2008, former Hull City manager Phil Brown made the ill-advised decision to deliver his half-time team-talk on the pitch in front of the fans after a poor first 45 minutes against Manchester City.
One year later, Jimmy Bullard - cheeky chappy that he is - decided to mimic it after burying a penalty and Brown did see the funny side at least.
Gareth Bale loses the plot
This weekend, Gareth Bale ended a goal drought with a brace against Levante and the celebration for his first goal was definitely aimed at his vociferous critics in Spain, cupping his hands over his ears before aiming a kick at the corner flag.
Craig Bellamy's golf swing
Bellamy (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
In 2007, the papers reported that then-Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy had gone at team-mate John Arne Riise with a golf club during a training camp.
Both players were punished and fined. But that wasn't the end of it as Bellamy referenced it during a celebration during a Champions League match against Barcelona.
Samuel Eto'o's "old man"
Last season, Jose Mourinho put his foot in it when he was secretly filmed pouring doubt on the age of his then-Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o.
Naturally, the Cameroon and Barcelona legend did not take those words too well and hit back with his goal celebration.
South Korea's 2002 skaters
Six months before the 2002 World Cup, South Koreans were incensed with the United States after an incident at the Winter Olympics which saw one of their own speedskaters disqualified from an event, in which a US athlete went on to take gold.
As fate would have it, South Korea would be placed in the same group as the USA at their home World Cup in the summer of '02 and after striker Ahn Jung Hwan scored an equaliser against the US, the Taeguk Warriors made a pointed reference to the skating incident.
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