Neither a bird, plane or Superman interrupted Saturday’s Premier League game between Brentford and Wolverhampton. A drone, however, did so after flying over Brentford Community Stadium in the 34th minute, forcing officials to stop the contest for around 15 minutes.
Referee Peter Bankes directed both teams to leave the pitch until the drone was taken down. The game resumed shortly after with 19 minutes of added time, making the first half a whopping 71 minutes. It was a scoreless first half, at that.
The drone wasn’t the only reason for the first half’s bloated length, though. Earlier in the game, Brentford teammates Rico Henry and Mathias Jensen accidentally collided heads and were heavily bloodied. Neither were able to return to the game, and Shandon Baptiste and Mads Roerslev took their places as concussion substitutes.
Wolverhampton eventually won the game, 2-1, thanks to second-half goals from João Moutinho and Rúben Neves.
The drone sighting is the Premier League’s second bizarre reason for a delay in as many days. On Friday, the game between Watford and Norwich at Vicarage Road stopped for 15 minutes after the stadium’s flood lights went out.
If the odd delay trend continues, Premier League fans can look forward to more than the exciting on-pitch product.
