A protective Everton fan was caught on video smacking the bottom of Crystal Palace player Joachim Andersen after he pushed Dele Alli during last night’s chaotic end to the two sides’ fiery Premier League clash.
The middle-aged woman was seen trying to protect Alli in the final minutes of the crucial match last night, which Everton won at their home Goodison Park 3-2 after overturning a 2-0 deficit.
The video clip, which was posted on Twitter, showed England player Alli, 26, competing for the ball with Crystal Palace’s Andersen, before the Danish player pushed his opponent near the advertising hoardings.
Immediately afterwards, the female fan, who was among those in the front row of fans nearby, slapped Andersen as he bent forwards to pick up the ball before taking a throw-in.
Fans online made light of the clip, with one asking, ‘Who’s mother is that’ and another saying that it was ‘brilliant’.
Everton’s victory over Palace resulted in jubilation among their fans because it secured their Premier League status after they had been threatened with relegation.
However, the final minutes of the match were marred by a pitch invasion, with fans also running on to the pitch after the final whistle.
Amid the chaos, Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira was seen kicking an Everton fan who had verbally abused him.
As well as the ugly scenes at Goodison Park, pitch-invading Port Vale supporters appeared to punch Swindon players following their League Two semi-final victory.
Yesterday’s scenes followed violence on Tuesday night during a pitch invasion at Nottingham Forest’s clash with Sheffield United.
Forest fan Robert Biggs was jailed for 24 weeks for headbutting Sheffield’s Blily Sharp.
There was also violence at Wednesday’s Northampton playoff clash with Mansfield. A Northhampton fan threw a flare at opposition players after confronting them on the pitch.
