Gary Neville 'absolutely furious' as technology causes chaos in Tottenham versus Everton match

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GB NEWS

Lewis Henderson

By Lewis Henderson


Published: 24/05/2026

- 17:22

Updated: 24/05/2026

- 17:50

The former Manchester United defender hit out at the officials

Gary Neville has been left absolutely furious over a lengthy delay to the restart of the Tottenham versus Everton match due to a linesman's audio pack not working.

The pundit branded the delay "not good enough", with it giving Spurs a huge advantage, knowing what they have to do, being around five minutes behind West Ham's game against Leeds United.


It means the Hammer's game, who are in their relegation battle against Spurs, will likely end before Tottenham's does, so Spurs can see out a result if it is in their interest.

Whistles were heard around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Neville, commenting on Sky Sports, suggested the delay questioned the "sporting integrity".

Gary Neville, Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver's assistant referee audio pack did not work, delaying the restart to the second half

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REUTERS/GETTY

Tottenham took the lead thanks to Joao Palhinha, who burst into tears after scoring the huge goal.

The midfielder sprinted over towards his manager in tears as the Tottenham bench filtered out, celebrating with Spurs currently safe in the Premier League.

A whipped in delivery from Mathys Tel fell to Palhinha, whose initial effort deflected off the post.

On the follow-up, the holding midfielder quickly reacted, scoring on the rebound to put Spurs in front.

Joao Palhinha

Palhinha burst into tears upon scoring for Spurs

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REUTERS

Concerns grew among the Spurs faithful after Taty Castellanos scored for West Ham against Leeds United.

Spurs have to at least draw against the Toffees to ensure safety in the Premier League.

Even if West Ham win, it will still mean Roberto De Zerbi's side are safe in England's top-flight.

The Italian manager spoke before the game about how everyone at the club is fighting for the "future of Tottenham".

Roberto De Zerbi

Roberto De Zerbi shared how everyone at Spurs is fighting for the club's future

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REUTERS

He said: "I didn't come here in mid-table. The situation was this, more games but not too different a situation.

"If I came, it was because I thought there are the right conditions, the right qualities and players to achieve the target.

"Then the situation changed because we lost (Cristian) Romero, Xavi Simons, (Dominic) Solanke, but I think in my time we made eight points, and maybe we deserved more points.

"We are still fighting to achieve the target, and we have to be ready and be strong."

Tottenham

At least a draw keeps Spurs in the Premier League

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REUTERS

De Zerbi continued: "To manage the pressure you have to be clear and honest with yourself. The level of difficulty of the game is high, OK. We are fighting for something very important for everyone, but it is football.

"We have enough quality, we play in our stadium. If for us it will be a tough game, it will be a tough game for West Ham too.

"West Ham play Leeds and I'm sure Leeds will play like they did in the Tottenham stadium.

"To attack the pressure you have to find the valour (bravery) inside of yourself to understand the situation and to force yourself to give your best, because the pressure is nice if you know how to manage the pressure."