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Crystal Palace’s Patrick Vieira in altercation with Everton fan during pitch invasion

Crystal Palace’s Patrick Vieira has been in an altercation with an Everton fan during their pitch invasion at Goodison Park.

Everton had to come from behind to beat the Eagles 3-2 and secure their Premier League survival, which in turn led to a mass pitch invasion of fans.

Vieira was walking across the pitch on his way to the team’s dressing room at the other side of the stadium when an Toffees fan approached him, prompting a reaction from the Palace boss which some fans alleging something was said for a reaction to come like that from Vieira.

Sky Sports News has attempted to contact Crystal Palace while Everton haven’t commented on the issue. Sky Sports News has also contacted the FA for comment which could come in the next few days.

When Vieira was questioned about it in his post-match press conference, he said: “I’ve got nothing to say about that.”

Meanwhile, Everton manager Frank Lampard added: “I feel for Patrick and I didn’t get him [to shake hands] at the end because of the reaction. He ran across the pitch 80 yards in front of our fans but there’s no issue. Just pure elation from our fans at staying in the league.”

Reacting to the incident live on TV, former striker Dion Dublin argued it should become law that fans get lifetime bans for entering the field of play in any circumstances, including mass pitch invasions.

“We don’t want to see it at all,” he said with it seen nearly every EFL match in the last few weeks. “We know how overjoyed the Everton fans are but you can’t be pushing managers and pushing players and shouting at them in their faces.

“We know it’s only the minority, we know it’s one or two that spoil it for everyone else. Having fans on the pitch is not the way forward. We have to stop letting fans or allowing fans onto the pitch. It’s too dangerous.

“What if you make an announcement before the game that anybody who comes onto the pitch has a life ban? They’re not going to go on the pitch because they love their football club. That is the choice, either you make everyone come on the pitch or you make them hallowed turfs?

“Fans need to enjoy the experience, don’t spoil it, enjoy it. You can’t have managers and players fearing for their lives with fans going on it. You can only avoid it by having fans have lifetime bans. For any player, any member of staff, it’s a scary place to be.

“Possibly [Vieira will end up in hot water] but what do you do as a human being if someone’s in your face and you’ve just lost a game you should have won. If someone’s in my face, I’d probably do the same thing.

“It’s hard to put yourself in Patrick’s position. It’s hard to say ‘Patrick shouldn’t do this’, or ‘Patrick shouldn’t react’. I disagree. If somebody’s in your face and somebody’s pushing you, what do you do?

“We don’t want something to happen that’s going to make us go: ‘ah, we should have done something earlier’. Let’s do it now.”

The incident at Goodison Park came on the same day a Nottingham Forest supporter was handed a 24-week jail sentence for charging at Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp following a pitch invasion by the Championship club after they secured a place in the playoff final.

Forest season ticket holder Robert Biggs, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm which left Sharp requiring four stitches to a wound to his lip while the player was also shaken and angry. He was jailed at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Sheffield United overturned a two-goal deficit on Tuesday to level the tie at 3-3 on aggregate and force extra-time and penalties, however they lost in a penalty shootout when goalkeeper Brice Samba saved three spot-kicks to send Forest to Wembley.

Biggs arrived at court in custody and didn’t oppose an application for a football banning order during the hearing. He was told that a separate charge of illegally entering the playing surface had been dropped.

Biggs was made to pay Sharp £500 in compensation, as well as £85 in costs and a £128 victim surcharge.

Twitter users reacted after Crystal Palace’s Patrick Vieira got into an altercation with an Everton fan during the pitch invasion…

@TommyP_10: Billy Sharp, Patrick Vieira, McBurnie – all in the space of a few days. Fans shouldn’t be on the pitch. Simple as that.

@StokeyyG2: Stadium security must increase sometime soon, this also happened in the Port Vale game only a few minutes ago and apparently there were fights involving opposition players

@jz3582: Lucky that Viera doesn’t need security

@whulorn: That fan must’ve said something horrible to him for him to turn like that – good on Vieira

@noelmickedy: More I watch it the more I think the same. No way he’d just randomly snap at him if he didn’t say something to him.. What’s the chances he said a racial slur?

@Nathan37439978: My Respect for Vieira 📈

@gibsonmark88: How long before we have fences back at football stadiums 🤬🤬

@mickywils: Everton should be deducted points, joke how a rival manager had to walk through that without security

@Phil_McNamara: Embarrassed as an Everton fan to see that. The fan got what he deserved. Pleased to also see some of the other fans to rally around him.

@C1919W: Good! The kid got exactly what was coming to him. Clough did something similar years ago and was applauded for it…let’s see what people make of Vieira doing it.

@gordonbsimpson: This has to stop, matches at the end of the season ending in mayhem. We’ll end up with fences or moats if it goes on. Stewards are ineffectual although the job is probably impossible. Fans need to know their place is not on the pitch.

@JakeEaton1: Got what he deserved. All them bell ends shouldn’t be on pitch anyway

@WesthamVan1: Nice one Vieira. Gone up in my estimation.

@NicksView92: Major respect to the Everton fans ushering him off the pitch 🔴🔵

@SensibleFBFan: Fans gotta learn you can’t stick phones in players/managers faces and scream abuse and expect them not to react. Guarantee they’d do they same

@RoryFer22224351: Imagine giving it all that and then getting dropped by a half-arsed kick.😂

@MenaBurke: The stands should have been cleared during the first massive pitch invasion in the 80-some odd minute. Between the pitch invaders and the smoke bombs, Vieira was fully justified in responding to a threat to his & his team’s safety. I fully support @CPFC’s manager on this.

@edmundsonnn: Imagine trying to goad Patrick Vieira and thinking you could get away with it? What an absolute weapon #VivaLaVieira

@Yurt1992: Anyone who condemns this, try having thousands of people rushing you and tell me you wouldn’t go straight into survival mode. I’d say it’s terrifying.

@Syph79: Football has a problem right now and I fear the discourse around Vieira lashing out will miss the real issue: Why was he allowed to be put in that position in the first place? Especially two days after a footballer was assaulted on a pitch.

@carefreebrock: Vieira underreacted, if anything. Everton should be penalised for this. Big fine and stadium closure for a couple of matches.

@glenwilson57: Points deduction is the only answer to stopping this madness

@CHIPFAT_: Fully believe he could’ve taken every single one of them on in hand to hand combat at the same time and still emerged victorious

@GTFCALFIE: Deserves that the bellend

@TomNo1234npt: How can you mess with Patrick veira man 😂

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