Swift thinking from Tottenham Hotspur duo Sergio Reguilon and Eric Dier have allowed medical staff to quickly treat a fan who collapsed during their Premier League game at Newcastle United.
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Spurs were leading 2-1 in the 41st minute when referee Andre Marriner halted the match after the players brought the medical emergency in the East End of at St James' Park to his attention.
Reguilon was among the first to notice the fan in distress, alerting Marriner, while Dier ran to the dugout and motioned for a defibrillator to be accessed.
Play was suspended for a few minutes as the referee beckoned to the players to leave the pitch while the man was treated as a hush fell over the stadium.
The game resumed after the fan was stabilised and taken to hospital, and the north east club confirmed later on Sunday evening: "Newcastle United can confirm that a supporter who required emergency medical treatment during the club's Premier League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park on Sunday is stable and responsive in hospital."
After the players returned, they played out the final seven minutes of the first half.
Spurs won the game 3-2.
Dier and Reguilon were awarded man-of-the-match honours for their actions.
"I think three points is always a moment of happiness but for me, more important is the guy (the fan who received medical attention), they are telling me he is OK and stable," Reguilon told BBC.
"I saw the fans waving and I saw a guy lying down, I saw something wrong had happened.
"I looked at the gaffer and he stopped the match. I think now everything is OK and 100 per cent happiness.
"It was very strange, we went to the dressing room and I was looking at the man lying down, I was nervous because I don't like to watch that."
Spurs skipper Harry Kane said they were glad to hear the fan was doing better.
"Firstly we want to say best wishes to the guy in the stands, it was not a good sight to see," Kane said.
"We hear that he might be stable now, so we're thankful to the medical teams and the fans who were doing the CPR."
Ex-Newcastle and Tottenham winger David Ginola, 54, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a charity match in France in 2016, was at the match working as a television pundit, and urged everybody to get CPR training.
with PA
Australian Associated Press
