Former England striker Carlton Cole has apologised after he compared the possibility of a heavy West Ham defeat by Manchester City to “a Holocaust”.

The former West Ham and Chelsea forward later apologised for his remarks on the same show.

“I’d like to apologise to the listeners for a totally unacceptable phrase that I used earlier,” he said.

“I’m sorry if I’ve offended anybody, really and truly. Sorry.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “An unacceptable reference was used during Premier League Sunday and 5 Live apologised for this on air during the show.”

The Holocaust, carried out by Nazi Germany during World War Two, claimed the lives of an estimated six million Jews.

Asked if West Ham boss David Moyes had selected a defensive side against the Premier League champions, Cole replied: “You can say he has gone a bit negative. Why not?

“You’ve got to give Man City some respect otherwise you’re going to get picked off.

“Otherwise it will be a Holocaust and you don’t want that.”

Cole’s comments came on the first day of the Jewish festival Hanukkah.

Last month, Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton apologised after comparing a poor performance from his League Two side to the Holocaust.