ITV have criticised Joey Barton after he compared Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward to serial killers. 

The former Manchester City midfielder continued his attacks on female pundits earlier today. 

He called the duo "the Fred and Rose West of football commentary" on X, formerly Twitter, following ITV's coverage of Crystal Palace's FA Cup draw with Everton on Thursday. 

But the broadcaster defended Aluko and Ward while hitting out at Barton's views. 

In a statement on X, ITV Sport said: "For Joey Barton, an ex-professional player with a significant social media presence, to target two of our pundits, Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, with such vindictive remarks based on gender and to invoke the names of serial killers in doing so is clearly contemptible and shameful on his part. 

"Football is for everyone."

Former Manchester United and England right-back Gary Neville was quick to congratulate ITV for supporting Aluko and Ward.

He posted on X: "Well done ITV. It’s gone too far this and mentioning serial killers is quite simply incredible. 

"My daughters have watched Salford City with me for 10 years and like to comment on football, my mum was kicked out of the football team (boys in the 1960s) and stopped playing due to misogyny. 

"My sister [Tracey] struggled for funding for her sport [netball] for years and my brother [Phil] was mocked when he took over the England women's team. 

"I come from a family that has fought these issues for years and I've witnessed it first hand. 

"All this does is just discourage and it's not the way forward. It's bloody hard work for women to succeed in sport and media as it is without this stuff."