Southampton vs Aston Villa temporarily halted by drone

Southampton and Aston Villa were forced to leave the pitch during their Premier League clash on Saturday due to an unauthorised drone flying over St Mary's.

The Saints had an early goal from Kyle Walker-Peters disallowed for offside, while Gavin Bazunu kept out Jacob Ramsey with an incredible save at the other end.

With half-time looming and the scores at 0-0, play was disrupted when a drone flew high over the pitch.

Referee Michael Salisbury opted to take the players off the pitch for a brief period of time before the drone cleared the air space, with play resuming just over five minutes later.

A similar incident occurred during Wolves' 2-1 win at Brentford in January 2022, with play being halted for around 20 minutes.

Premier League regulations forbid unauthorised drones from being flown in nearby airspace during matches.

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