Gary Neville launched a furious rant after the second half of Tottenham's Premier League clash against Everton was delayed due to technical issues. The Sky Sports commentator said he was 'absolutely furious' after a problem emerged with fourth official Stuart Burt's communication equipment.
The second half was delayed by more than five minutes as officials worked to fix the issue. Spurs were supposed to kick off at the same time as West Ham to sync the games, as is customary on the final day when survival is at stake. However, the delay meant West Ham's second half had already been ongoing for five minutes when action resumed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Neville blasted: 'Honestly...what blows my mind is that they have had nearly 20 minutes to check it. The fans are booing and rightly so. This is not good enough.' Home supporters made their feelings clear with loud booing before the problem was resolved.
Despite the delay, Spurs fans were pleased with their team's first-half performance. Joao Palhinha scored the opener, reacting quickest to sweep home a header from a corner that struck the post. Jubilant scenes followed, with Palhinha mobbed by substitutes after Guglielmo Vicario jumped on the back of Roberto De Zerbi.
The match also saw a touchline bust-up between Vicario and De Zerbi following a foul by Jake O'Brien on Mathys Tel, which resulted in a yellow card. De Zerbi's anger continued, with Vicario and Seamus Coleman exchanging words. The Everton defender even approached the Spurs bench to continue the disagreement after Vicario appeared to suggest he would meet him in the tunnel.
Later in the half, Micky van de Ven was caught late by Merlin Rohl. VAR checked the decision but decided no further action was needed. Joy and relief followed for Spurs as Palhinha's goal put them in a strong position to avoid relegation, needing only a draw to stay up.
