Tottenham fans released yellow balloons during the Carabao Cup match against Manchester United as a symbolic protest or gesture, often used to draw attention to a specific issue or to convey a message during a game.

During their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, several Tottenham fans held and released yellow balloons as a gesture of support for Emily Damari, a 28-year-old British Spurs supporter held hostage in Gaza.

Ange Postecoglou’s team started strong, with Dominic Solanke capitalizing on a mistake by United’s goalkeeper Altay Bayındır to score in the 15th minute. Dejan Kulusevski extended Spurs’ lead shortly after halftime, and Solanke added his second goal in the 54th minute.

Manchester United fought back, with substitute Joshua Zirkzee scoring in the 63rd minute and Amad taking advantage of a Fraser Forster error seven minutes later. However, Son Heung-min sealed Spurs’ victory with a corner goal in the 88th minute, despite Jonny Evans scoring United’s third in injury time. Tottenham advanced to the semi-finals with a 4-3 win.

The yellow balloons were released to highlight the plight of Damari, who was abducted from the Kfar Aza kibbutz during the events of October 7, 2023. She is reportedly the last British hostage in Gaza, having been detained for over 440 days. Her mother, Mandy, who grew up in Beckenham, Greater London, has publicly expressed her fears for Emily’s safety, describing her daughter’s injuries and the conditions she may be enduring. Spurs fans previously held a rally in support of Emily before their match against Aston Villa on November 3.