Soccer players may have helped save a fan’s life after seeing he had collapsed mid-match and calling for a defibrillator

• Two soccer players helped save a fan's life after the supporter collapsed in the stands.
• The incident occurred during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Tottenham.
• The fan was taken to hospital after a cardiac arrest. Newcastle said he was "stable and responsive."

Two Tottenham Hotspur players may have helped save a fan's life after the supporter collapsed in the stands.

Spurs were away at Newcastle United when in the 40th minute, fans started calling for help amid a medical emergency in the crowd.

The calls were heard by Tottenham full back Sergio Reguilón, who got the attention of referee Andre Marriner.

Another Spurs player, Eric Dier, also sprang into action and rushed to the benches so that a defibrillator could be brought to the fan.

The match was suspended for 20 minutes while the supporter received help. He regained consciousness before being taken to hospital nearby.

Reguilón said he spotted fans waving and a man lying down.

"I saw something wrong had happened. I looked at the gaffer and he stopped the match," he told BBC Sport.

"I think now everything is OK and 100% 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."

In a statement, Newcastle thanked the fans who performed life-saving CPR.

"The club would like to thank fans for their swift actions in raising the alarm and praise those who provided immediate chest compressions, as well as thanking the on-site medical professionals who swiftly administered emergency treatment using a defibrillator located close to the incident.

"Our best wishes go to the supporter and their loved ones and we hope for a swift and full recovery."

One of the fans who helped save the man's life was an accident and emergency doctor who was called from his seat to help.

"It's something you see at work fairly often but I haven't really had this outside of the hospital before," Tom Prichard told BBC Breakfast.

"There was an elderly gentlemen lying on the seats in cardiac arrest with CPR ongoing. Luckily St John [Ambulance] were fairly quick. We got the [defibrillator] pads on quickly.

"We gave the guy a shock. He was quite fortunate, this guy, because very quickly an intensive care doctor arrived, a cardiologist arrived and we were able to bring him back again."

-BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) October 18, 2021

Newcastle's new owners start with defeat

The incident came during the first match since Newcastle's takeover by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's state investment fund, a deal that has raised questions about elite soccer's moral and ethical responsibilities.

The home side's Callum Wilson opened the scoring in the second minute but Tottenham hit back three times before half time to gain control of the match.

Spurs' third, scored by Son Heung-min, came after the resumption of play following the supporter's collapse.

Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey was sent off in the 83rd minute, before an Eric Dier own goal in the 89th minute gave Newcastle some hope. The game, however, ended 3-2 to Tottenham.

The result leaves Newcastle as one of three teams without a win in the Premier League this season. The team sits 19th out of 20.