UK Championship snooker 2020 – 'Like Messi' – Judd Trump trick shot astonishes Ronnie O'Sullivan

ByBen Snowball

Updated 06/12/2020 at 10:24 GMT

Ronnie O’Sullivan compared Judd Trump’s ability to Barcelona star Lionel Messi after a sensational trick shot during his UK Championship semi-final win over Lu Ning. Trump is through to the final in Milton Keynes where he will face Neil Robertson on Sunday, LIVE on Eurosport 1, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.

Judd Trump may have claimed he was "still in neutral" earlier in the week but judging from his display on Saturday, the world number one isn’t far from his best.

Trump set up a showdown with Neil Robertson in the UK Championship final after seeing off Lu Ning 6-2 in the last four.

The match will be best remembered for a daring 147 attempt from the Bristolian in the fourth frame and, in particular, one red at 96-0.

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Trump sunk the red into the middle left pocket and sent the white careering into the jaws, somehow ending up nicely on the black. It seemed an impossible shot. Surely he was aiming to release a red tucked on the cushion and had simply misjudged it? We were wrong.

'Like Messi putting it in the top corner' – Trump shot stuns O'Sullivan

"I was trying to hit the knuckle," Trump said in the Eurosport studio.

"My friend Jack Lisowski is an expert at that shot. He seems to practise that all the time, so I thought I would give him one of them."

Eurosport presenter Colin Murray asked him again. Did he really mean it? Trump nodded.

"Well I just feel like putting my mic down and leaving you two to have a chat! It’s a pheromonal shot!" said Murray.

‘What a shame!’ – Trump fails in daring 147 attempt

Sadly, the maximum attempt ended with the next shot as Trump failed to get enough power to roll the 13th black home. But it was a 97 break that proved the recent Northern Ireland Open champion was in formidable form going into Sunday’s final.

"It’s just taking the mick really," added Ronnie O’Sullivan on the shot.

It’s like Messi putting it into the top corner. It’s a ball skill and this guy’s got quite a lot of skill with the ball.

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