Jamie Vardy was the man of the match in Leicester’s 2-0 win over Southampton, and not just because of his 199th goal, but also because of a curious scene in which he stopped the game for the referee, who had been knocked out.
Leicester’s relegation may already be sealed, but the 2016 surprise champions are still making headlines, as the Premier League has never seen such a bizarre scene before. When referee David Webb collapsed on the ground with his whistle in his hand after a collision with Leicester’s Jordan Ayew in the first half, some of the players continued playing. Jamie Vardy rushed over to the referee, bent down, grabbed Webb’s arm and then quickly grabbed the whistle himself.
“I saw Southampton breaking through on the left and when the referee was on the ground, I thought I’d blow his whistle to stop the game,” Vardy told the BBC with a smile.
The striker’s whistle brought the game to a halt. Video footage of the bizarre scene quickly went viral on social media. Things didn’t end so well for Webb. The referee, who was officiating in the English Premier League for the first time, saw his debut come to an end after the collision.
“He hit a wall called Jordan Ayew.”
After paramedics treated Webb on the pitch during an 11-minute interruption, the referee was finally replaced by fourth official Sam Barrott. At least he was able to leave the pitch without assistance. “I felt sorry for the referee,” said Leicester team manager Ruud van Nistelrooy at the post-match press conference: “He hit a wall called Jordan Ayew, and that’s not easy. I hope he’s okay.”
For Vardy, who recently announced his departure from Leicester, it was also a successful day on the pitch. He scored his 199th goal for the club in the 2-0 win. “There are still a few games left, so hopefully I can add a few more to that tally,” said the 38-year-old, hoping to further cement his cult status.
Vardy has three games left this season to reach the 200-goal mark and add two more to his 498 appearances for the club to reach the magical 500-game milestone.
