West Brom face punishment after after crowd disorder and violent scenes marred Sunday’s FA Cup tie against rivals Wolves.
Play in the Black Country derby at The Hawthorns was suspended for more than half an hour after trouble flared in the stands and fans spilled onto the pitch.
West Midlands Police confirmed arrests were made following the second-half disturbances and one person was taken to hospital with head injuries.
There were reports of fans clashing with police and some West Brom players were concerned about family members sitting close to the trouble. At least one, Kyle Bartley, went into the crowd to get children out.
Baggies manager Carlos Corberan later confirmed no players’ family members were hurt but the violent unrest, into which the Football Association swiftly launched an investigation, completely overshadowed the contest.
Corberan said: “Unfortunately this happened but fortunately no dramatic situation with the families or with any person happened, because of course lives are more important than anything.
“Everything was controlled by the security people and the situation didn’t have any negative consequence on the families. But, of course, the players were worried because they knew that the families were there.”
The FA issued a strong statement on the trouble.
It read: “The disorder that occurred at the Black Country derby between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers is completely unacceptable.
“Safety and security are of the utmost importance, and the behaviour of those involved is dangerous and inexcusable.
“We will be investigating these serious incidents alongside the clubs and the relevant authorities, and the appropriate action will be taken.”
Emotions had been running high throughout the match, which was the first between the neighbouring clubs in front of spectators since 2012.
The tensions spilled over shortly after Matheus Cunha fired Premier League Wolves into a 2-0 lead and effectively settled the fourth-round tie 12 minutes from time.
A statement from the home club read: “West Bromwich Albion Football Club condemns in the strongest terms the unsavoury scenes which disrupted Sunday’s Black Country derby at The Hawthorns.
“The club will work with West Midlands Police and the Football Association to fully investigate the incidents which resulted in a suspension to the game.
“Any individual involved in the disorder will be subject to a club ban, in addition to potential criminal investigation.”
The main disturbance occurred in the corner of the West Stand and the Birmingham Road End, a section which theoretically held only home supporters.
Police and stewards rushed to the area but security also had to be increased on the opposite side of the ground soon after as the atmosphere became increasingly hostile.
There had also been pockets of trouble elsewhere in the ground earlier in the game, which had been designated high risk with increased security and an 11.45am kick-off ordered.
Flares were thrown towards the pitch from the away end after Pedro Neto opened the scoring for the visitors and objects were later thrown at Wolves’ Tommy Doyle.
A police statement read: “We have extra officers at this local derby and they responded immediately as disorder in the stands caused fans to spill onto the pitch. Two people have been arrested for public order offences.
“We worked with officials to get the game restarted as soon as possible.
“Another man was arrested before the game for possession of an offensive weapon. A man has been taken to hospital with head injuries.”
The players eventually returned to play out the final 12 minutes after a stoppage of 34 minutes.
Bartley was substituted before the restart but Corberan said this was unrelated to what had occurred.
He said: “I had wanted to make the subs before they scored the second goal and Bartley had a yellow card.”
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil said: “Obviously it’s really disappointing. Anybody that wants to come to watch a football match should feel safe.
“Young children, elderly people could be in that area and we shouldn’t have to discuss incidents like this.
“They shouldn’t happen and I hope everyone’s safe and there’s no serious injuries and there’s no lasting effects to it.
“I thought the game was played in a really good spirit and it’s disappointing that things that went on off the pitch obviously now need to be spoken about.”
Salah: There will be 'fire' if I speak after Klopp clash
Mohamed Salah refused to talk to the media following a touchline clash with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, saying there would be "fire" if he spoke.
Liverpool's Premier League title hopes are hanging by a thread following a 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday, and much of the discussion after the game centered on a flare-up between Salah and Klopp in the latter stages of the contest.
Salah, dropped from the starting XI for the visit to the London Stadium, was involved in a furious confrontation with Klopp prior to being substituted on, with the pair having to be separated by Joe Gomez and Darwin Nunez.
Following the game, Salah made a comment as he walked through the media area, refusing to conduct interviews with the press.
"If I speak today there will be fire," Salah stated as he refused to discuss the incident.
Klopp was also not very forthcoming on the confrontation after a draw which leaves his team two points off leaders Arsenal and a point behind second-placed Manchester City having played at least a game less than both of their title rivals.
When asked about the Salah dispute, Klopp told TNT Sports: "I'm not in the mood to talk about that to be honest or look at that at all."
Klopp has just three games left of his Liverpool tenure, and despite the success he has endured at Anfield, including a Premier League title and Champions League glory, it's at risk of ending in a damp squib.
Klopp hopes his team can avoid that disappointing conclusion by finding their form again over the remainder of the campaign.
"We had to win here, we knew that, and we didn't," Klopp continued. "Now we have a little bit more time between now and the next game.
"We try to get the boys ready again and we will go again."
Wolves 2-1 Luton Town: Hwang on target as Hatters' relegation fears grow
Hwang Hee-chan ended his four-month goal drought to help inspire Wolves to a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Luton Town at Molineux on Saturday.
Hwang opened the scoring late in the first half at the end of a lightning counterattack, his strike deflecting off Teden Mengi and nestling in the bottom corner.
A clever set-piece routine allowed Wolves to double their lead after 50 minutes as Toti Gomes nodded in from Mario Lemina's cross, though Luton set up a grandstand finish when Carlton Morris fired home.
However, they failed to find an equaliser in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time and stay 18th, one point adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th. Wolves, meanwhile, move into the top half with 46 points.
Luton started brightly and Ross Barkley called Jose Sa into action just five minutes in, but the Wolves goalkeeper dived to his right to palm his strike away from danger.
Hwang then made a superb run in behind as Wolves showed their teeth, but he shot down the throat of Thomas Kaminski after latching onto Lemina's throughball.
Luton should have gone ahead after 39 minutes as Jordan Clark teed up Morris, but he could only power his header into the hands of Sa.
They were made to pay just 18 seconds later as Matheus Cunha picked out Hwang inside the box. The Wolves forward cut back onto his right before shooting low, and his deflected effort found its way into the bottom-right corner.
Five minutes after the break, Lemina was found on the edge of the box from a short corner, and his sensational first-time cross allowed Toti to send a bullet header into the net.
Nelson Semedo should have made it three for Gary O’Neil’s side as he found himself one-on-one with Kaminski, but the Luton goalkeeper rushed off his line to make a strong stop.
Luton pulled one back after 80 minutes as Alfie Doughty’s cross was nodded back into a dangerous area by Reece Burke, and Morris pounced to volley home.
However, Wolves clung on through six added minutes to end their six-match winless run.
Hwang ends long wait
It’s four months to the day since Hwang last found the net in the Premier League, with injuries and international duty frustrating him since he scored twice against Brentford on December 27th.
He looked back to something approaching his best on Saturday, working the channels effectively and settling Wolves' nerves with his opener, which came after a strong start from Luton.
The victory takes Wolves into the top half ahead of Bournemouth facing Brighton on Sunday, though they remain some seven points adrift of the top seven and a potential European place.
Luton’s survival hopes dented
Luton could have climbed out of the relegation zone with three points against Wolves, but they remain in 18th place, one point behind Forest and just one clear of Burnley.
Some soft defending cost the Hatters on Saturday, and they have kept just two clean sheets in their 35 Premier League games this campaign.
With just three games remaining, Rob Edwards will be desperately hoping his side can turn things around after a tricky run, their defeat at Molineux making it three losses in a row.
Bayern Munich 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt: Kane scores landmark double in home win
Harry Kane scored twice to surpass the 400-goal mark for his senior career and guide Bayern Munich to a 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
The Bavarians, who saw Bayer Leverkusen end their 11-year-Bundesliga reign by securing the league crown two weeks ago, have only the Champions League trophy to fight for with departing coach Thomas Tuchel eager to leave on a high note.
Bayern warmed up for Tuesday's semi-final first leg against Real Madrid with three points at the Allianz Arena, denting Eintracht's hopes of European qualification in the process.
They went in front with Kane tapping in after a fine run from Konrad Laimer in the ninth minute, though the Austrian had to be taken off injured later on.
Eintracht levelled in the 23rd minute with Hugo Ekitike's shot from 18 yards out but Kane restored order with a penalty just past the hour for his 35th league goal of the campaign.
It was his 400th career goal at senior level for club and country and his 42nd this season across all competitions, a personal best for the England captain.
The hosts also had to take off defender Matthijs de Ligt at half-time after he was on the wrong end of some rough challenges, potentially giving Tuchel another selection headache ahead of Tuesday's tussle with Los Blancos.
Bayern remain in second place with three games left to play on 69 points, 11 behind Leverkusen, who are in action against third-placed Stuttgart later on Saturday.
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