Newcastle's Premier League clash with Tottenham was halted in the first half with immediate effect as the players on the pitch flagged down a medical incident in the crowd. In the 40th minute as Tottenham were preparing to take a corner, a number of Spurs players appeared to approach referee Andre Mariner and point towards the stand on the far side.
It soon became clear that this was a state of emergency as the medics were urged to enter and cross the pitch. As cameras panned around, a large huddle of stewards and paramedics could be seen treating the affected person.Tottenham defender Eric Dier then rushed over to the touchline and signalled for the defibrillator. The stadium announcer confirmed shortly after: "There is a medical emergency in the East Stand."Eriksen's Danish team mate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg cut a concerned figure as he talked to Nuno Espirito Santo on the near side. St James' Park then broke out into applause in support.
Both sets of players were led to the touchline where they took a water break and gathered their heads amid the concern inside the ground. Mariner then headed across to the touchline to get an update from a steward and a policeman.
He then led both sets of players off the field. The announcer also confirmed the players would return to the field to play the seven minutes of first-half stoppage time. Reports inside the stadium also confirmed the supporter had been stabilised as they were stretchered to an ambulance, where they would be taken to a nearby hospital. Newcastle's official club Twitter said: "The supporter who was in need of urgent medical assistance has been stabilised and is on their way to hospital. Our thoughts are with them."
Former Toon striker David Ginola, who died for eight minutes following a huge heart attack during a charity football match, was in the Sky Sports studio working as a pundit. And the Frenchman highlighted the importance of life-saving CPR as Sky Sports handled the sensitive sequence of events delicately and professionally. "It is vital, it is vital because I hope the man or the woman is going to be fine. It brings back some weird memories," he said. "I’ve been talking to the lads, I haven’t been in the country for years doing that and you come back to the game and you have a heart-attack/issue in the stadium it’s been weird.
"We were watching a good game and all of a sudden it stopped with that. You said the defibrillator helps brilliantly, the fans in the stands to perform CPR helps massively. "We all should be able to perform CPR to help each other." Tottenham would eventually go on to win the match 3-2 thanks to goals from Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
The afternoon had begun in celebratory fashion as Newcastle fans welcomed their new Saudi Arabian owners to the club, marking the end of the Mike Ashley era. Callum Wilson’s second-minute header had got the Magpies off to a dream start, but Tanguy Ndombele levelled and Harry Kane lifted home his first league goal of the season to give Spurs a 2-1 lead prior to the suspension. Heung-min Son then extended the advantage in the lengthy period of first-half stoppage time following the resumption.
Eric Dier’s own goal gave Newcastle late hope following Jonjo Shlevey’s red card but they were unable to push for an equaliser as Steve Bruce’s 1000th game as a manager ended in defeat.