Everton v Newcastle Interrupted After Protester Ties Himself To The Goalpost By His Neck

Thursday's Premier League match between Everton and Newcastle was interrupted after a pitch invader tied himself to one of the goalposts at Goodison Park.

Play was brought to a halt shortly after the start of the second half after the protester managed to attach his neck to the post using cable ties.

The protester was wearing a t-shirt with the phrase 'Just Stop Oil' on the front.

Stewards initially struggled to free the man with bolt-cutters before he was eventually cut loose after several minutes.

He then threw himself to the ground to prolong the stoppage and was confronted by an angry Everton supporter, who dragged him back to his feet.

The protester was then carried from the pitch by police officers, while the Everton fan was also ejected.

A similar incident was narrowly avoided in Wednesday’s match between Arsenal and Liverpool.

A fan attempted to glue himself to the goals at the Emirates but was stopped before he was able to do so.

Some fans on social media saw the funny side of Thursday’s unexpected stoppage at Goodison Park.

One wrote on Twitter: “The most exciting thing to happen at Everton Vs Newcastle so far is the protester zip tying himself to the goalpost. 8 minutes of goalmouth action!”

The lengthy delay meant that 14 minutes of additional time were played at the end of the second half, allowing Alex Iwobi to score a dramatic late winner for Everton.

Campaign group Just Stop Oil has since claimed responsibility for the protest, writing on Twitter: “This evening, Louis, a 21-year-old supporter of Just Stop Oil, locked on to the goalpost at Goodison Park wearing a Just Stop Oil t-shirt, causing the referee to briefly stop play."

An alleged statement from the protester added: “It's 2022 and it's time to look up, time to step up and not stand by. It's time to act like it's an emergency.”

“Report after report is telling me that my future is going to be dire, and my government is telling me not to worry and pay into a pension.

“But we have a choice. We can choose to highlight that our climate is breaking down, we can choose to resist this government that is betraying us, we can choose to step up and not stand by.

“Our government is betraying us by funding new oil fields in the North Sea. New oil means destruction of our children’s future. It means war on small island states. And it means suffering now for the poorest and most marginalised in all regions.

“We must #JustStopOil. It’s a no-brainer.”