EDITOR’S PICK
EKO HOT BLOG reports that furious Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira kicked an Everton fan to the ground after being propelled during the pitch invasion at Goodison Park on Thursday evening.
Everton fans stormed the pitch after the full-time whistle as Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s late goal sealed a 3-2 victory over Palace to ensure that they are safe from relegation ahead of the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.
Palace threw away a two-goal lead after Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew had put them in front in the first half.
But Frank Lampard’s side produced an impressive comeback in the second half as goals from Michael Keane and Richarlison pulled the hosts’ level before Calvert-Lewin scored the winner with five minutes remaining.
With thousands of Everton fans flooding onto the pitch in celebration after the full-time whistle, Vieira lost his cool with one supporter who repeatedly appeared to make a rude gesture in front of his face as he walked towards the dressing room.
Vieira initially ignored the fan but then turned around and grabbed him before aiming a kick to the supporter’s leg which knocked him to the ground.
Video footage which was posted on social media shows the fan hurling expletives at Vieira before the Palace manager confronted him.
Other Everton supporters then blocked off the supporter and attempted to usher Vieira away from the incident and back towards the dressing room.
When asked about the incident, Vieira said:
‘I do not have anything to say about that.’
When told about Vieira’s clash with the supporter, Lampard said: ‘I feel for Patrick.
‘I would have said come in [to the tunnel] with us, he was running across the pitch of 80 yards.
‘It was the pure elation of fans that want to stay in the Premier League. Are we going to handcuff them to the seats when we are 2-0 down and come back to win 3-2?’
Former Premier League striker Dion Dublin, who was working as a pundit for Sky Sports for the match, said: ‘We don’t want to see it at all.
‘We know how overjoyed the Everton fans are but you can’t be doing that – pushing managers, pushing players, shouting at players in their face.
We know it’s the minority, we know it’s only one or two who spoil it for everyone else but having fans on the pitch is not the way forward.
FURTHER READING
‘We have to stop letting fans get on the pitch, it’s too dangerous.’
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