Ladbrokes have apologised to Burnley for tweeting an emoji of a middle-finger gesture aimed at two players after Tuesday's EFL Cup loss to Leeds, reports BBC Sport.

The betting company, which has a sponsorship deal with Burnley, aimed the post at ex-Leeds pair Chris Wood and Charlie Taylor.

Leeds beat the Premier League side after a penalty shootout at Turf Moor.

"We would like to sincerely apologise to any fans of the club that took offence," a Ladbrokes statement said.

"We have apologised to Burnley FC."

Burnley had put out a statement on Wednesday saying they were aware of the tweet and had contacted Ladbrokes for comment.

Ladbrokes, who are the club's UK betting partner and sponsor a stand at Turf Moor, told BBC Sport: "They were very poorly conceived tweets which we have since deleted. It was only intended to be a bit of fun but failed in that regard."