There was a brief moment of silence during West Ham United’s 2-2 draw with Norwich, the type you get when there is a serious injury. On Sky Sports, Chris Kamara wondered if the game would be abandoned.

Ten minutes into the second half, the referee’s whistle blew, the game was paused and Upton Park took a collective breath. Norwich’s Jonny Howson was first on the scene, rushing over to see how serious the injury was.

Thankfully, the Canary took it upon himself to carry the stricken pigeon off. Reports of the pigeon’s death were premature and the wounded bird was seen limping towards the tunnel with nothing more than a damaged wing. An assessment on his injury will be made in the coming days following a full examination. Alex Neil, the Norwich manager, was delighted with his player’s reaction: “Jonny’s from Yorkshire so he’s good boy and he looks after wildlife It was a fair game, just a pity a pigeon got kicked during it.”