The League Two season may have just kicked off, but Crewe Alexandra have already bagged more than just three points—they also managed to land a playful dig at one of the game’s most recognizable faces, Gary Neville.
Crewe Take All the Points—and the Last Laugh
On Saturday, Crewe Alexandra pulled off a strong 3-1 win against Salford City in their opening game.
But while the scoreline was impressive, what caught attention even more was their sense of humour on social media.
Salford co-owner and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was spotted in the director’s box, watching the match from behind the glass with his hand pressed against the window—five fingers up.
Crewe wasted no time turning that into a punchline.
On X (formerly Twitter), they posted a photo of Neville with the caption: “nah it was three Gary”—a cheeky nod to the number of goals Crewe slotted past his team.
Neville Watches as Salford Struggle
Gary Neville wasn’t just any spectator—he was there in an official capacity, having recently completed a takeover of Salford City with David Beckham.
The pair, part of Manchester United’s famed Class of ’92, had previously shared 60% ownership of the club with Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes.
But now, with Beckham and Gary at the helm and new investment between £11-15 million, they’ve set their sights on reaching the Championship within five years.
Unfortunately for Neville, this ambitious new era didn’t start the way they had hoped.
Conor Thomas Leads the Charge for Crewe
The match itself had plenty of drama. Things got going fast when Salford were awarded a penalty just four minutes in, after Adebola Oluwo was fouled by Crewe’s Mickey Demetriou.
Ben Woodburn stepped up to take the spot-kick but was denied by an incredible full-stretch save from Tom Booth.
Just minutes later, Crewe grabbed the lead in a scrappy goalmouth scramble.
After a wild sequence, the ball ricocheted off Salford winger Kadeem Harris and was ruled to have crossed the line.
Harris quickly made up for it, though—he equalized with a tidy finish into the bottom corner after being set up by Kallum Cesay.
But just when Salford thought they’d stabilized, Conor Thomas had other ideas.
Thomas Turns the Tide Just Before Half-Time
With the clock ticking toward halftime, Crewe’s Josh March delivered a precise cross that Thomas coolly converted to make it 2-1. And before Salford could regroup, they found themselves further behind.
Just seconds before the break, Thomas struck again—this time capitalizing on a fumble by Salford goalkeeper Matty Young after a shot from Tommi O’Reilly.
Crewe could’ve made it worse in the second half, with O’Reilly nearly scoring again, only to see his shot cannon off the crossbar.
A Statement Win and a Social Media Mic Drop
Crewe’s win not only puts them in a good position early in the season, but their sharp social media jab also shows they’re not afraid to ruffle a few feathers—especially when it comes to high-profile opponents like Neville.
For Salford, it’s back to the drawing board. For Crewe?
It’s smiles all around—and maybe a few more cheeky tweets to come.