Viewers for the day’s match soar by 500,000, with 2.5 MILLION tuning in to the bizarre episode following Gary Lineker’s axe

MATCH OF THE DAY had its biggest audience since November last night.

The program was watched by 2.58 million people – almost 500,000 more than last week.

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The BBC aired an abridged 20 minute highlights package last night at 10:20pm.

After the mutiny sparked by Gary Lineker’s suspension, the show’s bizarre version featured no studio pundits.

Regular analysts Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, Jermaine Jenas, Alex Scott, Mark Chapman and Micah Richards refused to step in, which plunged the show into a crisis.

The broadcast contained neither a moderator nor commentary, but switched from game to game and only showed the highlights.

No player or manager interviews were recorded, and stars were not asked to give Game of the Day interviews.

Despite the large viewership, many fans remained unfazed by the stripped-down version of the show.

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