How Everton’s night of euphoria turned toxic
Survival success marred by a double pitch invasion and the goading of Vieira to raise fears on safety that need resolving
At around 9.50pm in Goodison Park’s main reception on the west side of the stadium, the Crystal Palace striker Jean-philippe Mateta was at the reception desk in his full kit and boots, with an official from his club, asking how they might get back to the away dressing room.
Like many other Palace players, to avoid the pitch invasion from Everton fans at full time, Mateta had got off the pitch at the nearest side.
That had taken him about as far as possible from where he needed to be – the away dressing rooms are in the corner of the Bullens Road and Park End Stands, a legacy of the Covid protocols that have been kept at Goodison. The official was heard to ask: “Can you please just tell us how we can get back?”
They were eventually led back by Everton staff via various executive lounges and concourses underneath Goodison Park’s stands. The pitch had long since become a no-go area for the Palace players, and for their manager, in particular, it had become dangerous. Patrick Vieira, never one to duck away from confrontation as a player, had walked through the crowds of supporters towards the away dressing rooms when he was approached by one Everton fan in particular. The footage from the incident taken by the fan in question was posted later on social media: a glimpse of Vieira’s impassive face, a middle finger raised at him and then just a blur.
The confrontation was caught from another angle by a camera phone in the stand. The Everton fan dances around Vieira, his middle finger in the Frenchman’s face.
Vieira turns and grabs the fan and kicks at his legs. The fan falls over.
Another pitch invader pushes Vieira in the chest and then quickly backs off. Yet another approaches him bouncing on the balls of his feet, as if living out a private boxing fantasy, but appears less confident when it comes to physical contact. Vieira is pushed in the back by another man.
Eventually another fan in a blue home shirt, plus another with a child on his shoulders, shepherd Vieira away and from the pitch.
The Palace manager returned to the dressing room along with his players, who changed and left.
Vieira declined to comment on the incident in his post-match press conference. There were still Everton fans on the pitch when the squad and the officials took their leave of the stadium, but by then the atmosphere had calmed. The streets around Goodison were still full of celebrating fans, but the attitude towards the departing Palace officials was good-natured. It had been a highly-charged night from the beginning, with Everton’s 68-year
stay in the top flight in the balance. Even in the Stanley Road car park, by Liverpool’s Anfield home, a 15-minute walk from Goodison, the smell of smokebombs and flares was in the air. There was a police helicopter above. The atmosphere was one of high expectation as well as fear of the worst-case scenario for the club. Merseyside police had a significant presence.
Everton were two goals down at half-time and the prospect of going into the final game of the season against Arsenal in the bottom three was looming. What followed was an extraordinary comeback for Frank Lampard’s players, and the evening ended with the manager dancing on the pitch with fans and climbing into the Goodison directors’ box to celebrate with the likes of Joe Royle, the club’s former manager.
But outside Everton, this will be a match remembered for the two pitch invasions, during the game and then after, that once again asked questions about the safety of players, managers and officials. Especially at matches when the stakes are high, and games are being played after what for many was the culmination of an evening of drinking. When Dominic Calvert-lewin scored the winning goal on 85 minutes, and Goodison Park exploded with joy, the Palace players got a taste of what was coming.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland was goaded by one fan as he stood in his own penalty area and Eberechi Eze had a smoke-bomb waved near his face, while a fan rubbed Christian Benteke’s face before another swore at him. Wilfried Zaha was among other players targeted.
Earlier the interactions with supporters had been more innocent – not least the irate slap on the backside Palace defender Joachim Andersen got from a woman in an Everton home shirt. But things were to get more serious.
Around the pitch was a ring of stewards and Merseyside police officers, who got into position as the end of the game approached. But there was no stopping the invasion of thousands of fans at the final whistle. Pictures taken by accredited photographers show that the stewards did stand in front of the stands, but were unable, or unwilling, to stop those who came on.
Palace will fight any Football Association charge for Vieira and the strength of public feeling will be on their side, particularly in light of other events this week. A Nottingham Forest fan was jailed for 24 weeks for the headbutt at the City Ground of the Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp after Tuesday’s play-off semi-final. At Port Vale, a similar pitch invasion took place at the end of Thursday’s League Two play-off semi-final second leg penalty shoot-out win over Swindon Town, with away players targeted.
As for the Premier League, there will be concern that a similar incident could be in the making at Turf Moor tomorrow if Newcastle United, led by former Burnley manager Eddie Howe, send his old club down to the Championship. No doubt there will be heavy security on hand.
The league thrives on the strength of fan culture and indeed that is part of the value of the game to the television rights holders who collectively will spend more than £10billion to broadcast the Premier League over the next three seasons. The cameras love the emotion in supporters’ faces. When it comes to managers’ and players’ safety, however, no compromise can be accepted.