ITV moved to avoid a sexism row on Sunday night as the former footballer Patrice Evra was advised to modify his interaction with his fellow World Cup pundit Eni Aluko after clapping her in a manner that enraged some viewers.

Evra was made immediately aware of the reaction on social media to the broadcast. He was accused of sexism after applauding the former Chelsea and England international Aluko when she made a perceptive point during the channel’s coverage of a match between Serbia against Costa Rica.

Aluko is one of only two women to be a national TV pundit at a World Cup, alongside the former Arsenal player Alex Scott, who is starring on the BBC during Russia 2018. Aluko was on a panel with the Frenchman Evra and the former Sweden international Henrik Larsson during coverage presented by Jacqui Oatley.

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Aluko, who has been capped 102 times by England, delivered a detailed analysis of Costa Rica’s playing style. After she had finished speaking her co-pundit Larsson said: “That’s very good,” before Evra started applauding.

The left back repeated this moments later, after Aluko complimented the Serbia player Sergej Milinković-Savić. Oatley then asked Evra: “Are you going to sit here applauding Eni’s punditry all day?” To which Evra replied: “This is just amazing. I think we should leave, Henrik, because she knows about more football than us! I’m really impressed, you know.”

The Guardian understands the panel were all aware of the Twitter reaction immediately after the show and that Evra is highly unlikely to react the same way again. It is thought Aluko and Evra seemed to be getting along well afterwards. The four went directly to another room to record the ITV World Cup podcast in which they interacted frequently including recording a one-on-one segment. It is understood Evra pointed out that he meant the clapping to be a compliment but that it was taken the wrong way.

Oatley was the Match of the Day’s first female commentator in 2007.

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Aluko, who recently signed for Juventus after leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, has also been a trailblazer. She made history in 2014 as the first female pundit on Match of the Day and believes she has opened the door for other women to move from the pitch into broadcasting.

Last month she said: “I think it gets massively forgotten with women commentators and pundits that we grew up watching men’s football.

“To be going to Russia to work on a men’s World Cup is incredible,” she added. “There’s a tendency for some male pundits who have done it for years to rock up and take it for granted. I can’t afford to do that so that’s why I have to geek out on all the stats and facts and make sure I am not seen as a token woman but that I’m adding to the conversation.”