Crewe boss Lee Bell slammed missile-throwing fans who triggered a second-half hold-up before his side beat nine-man Tranmere 2-0 at Gresty Road.
Referee Ross Joyce stopped play for around five minutes as police and stewards dealt with objects hurled at the officials.
It came after Crewe’s Chris Long doubled his side’s lead when he blasted in a 52nd-minute free-kick, awarded after the dismissal of Tranmere goalkeeper Luke McGee for handling outside the box.
Bell said the break in action affected his team’s performance and after being in control of the game they failed to press home their numerical advantage.
Indeed, Crewe’s goal led a charmed life in the closing minutes and 13 of added time when Harvey Saunders lifted over from close range and rattled the bar with a header while Courtney Baker-Richardson cleared a header from Connor Jennings off the line.
Mickey Demetriou had put Crewe ahead early in the game before Tranmere finished with nine men after captain Tom Davies was sent off in stoppage time.
Bell said: “We can’t be seeing these sort of things, the officials are trying to do a job and people said coins were thrown.
“They were talking of calling the game off when we were 2-0 up. It was ridiculous and you can’t be doing these things.
“But we were exceptional in the first half and we should have been 3-0 up at half-time, although we didn’t handle playing against 10 men particularly well.
“The supporters wanted to see more goals but the players lost their way a bit and we should have done better.
“But we’d been exceptional before then. Shilow Tracey was outstanding considering he was at the training ground having a fitness test before the game.
“He gave it a go and if that is how he plays when he may not be match-ready then you can only wonder what he can do when he is.”
For Nigel Adkins it was the third defeat in six games since taking interim charge of Tranmere.
He said: “We started the game poorly but you have to give Crewe a lot of credit for that.
“I was very disappointed with the first goal as we should have been able to defend that.
“Then I challenged the players at half-time to do things the Tranmere way and we showed a lot of resilience in the second half.
“But we got a double whammy with the sending off and the goal but even down to 10 men we could have got something out of the game.
“We have to scrap and fight because where we are in the league. But the reality is that that first half wasn’t good enough.
“In the second half we did a lot of things well, winning our one v one duels and that gives me a lot of belief.”
USWNT goalkeeper Naeher to retire from international football
United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is to retire from international football next month.
Naeher has won 113 caps for the USWNT and was a regular between the sticks during their most recent World Cup-winning campaign in 2019, also starting for Emma Hayes' Olympic Gold medallists in Paris earlier this year.
The 36-year-old, who has represented the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL since 2016, will link up with Hayes' side for their upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands, but that will be the final camp she attends.
Naeher said in a statement posted to her Instagram account: "With immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game.
"Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honour.
"This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime.
"I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish."
Hope Solo (202) and Briana Scurry (175) are the only goalkeepers to make more appearances for the team than Naeher, who made her debut versus Argentina in December 2014.
Mbappe position switch works wonders for Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied his tactical decision to switch Kylian Mbappe's position in attack paid off in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes.
Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the season to help Madrid to a comfortable victory in LaLiga on Sunday.
However, his position in Madrid's front line has been a topic of debate since he joined the Spanish champions, with Mbappe having often played out wide while at Paris Saint-Germain.
And Ancelotti elected to switch Mbappe out to the left flank against Leganes, with Vinicius Junior spearheading Los Blancos' attack.
"Mbappe played on the left side, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside," Ancelotti told reporters.
"We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very, very well. Mbappe scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they're both improving.
"Kylian is more used to playing there and today, for the team and for him, it was the best thing.
"Because playing on the outside brings more effort and Vinicius was back on Thursday. Meanwhile, Kylian had been training here for a week and a half, he was fresher."
Mbappe was not called up by France coach Didier Deschamps for this month's Nations League games, despite being Les Bleus' captain.
With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool coming up, Ancelotti added he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring strain, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, returning to action.
He was also upbeat about the contribution of Federico Valverde, who scored from a free-kick while filling in at right-back.
"The truth is that Fede, at the back, has done very well," said Ancelotti of the Uruguayan, who also wore the captain's armband.
"He's a fantastic fullback. After Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, the best right-back in the world. His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and is the coach's problem to choose the best position for the team.
"Let's see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we will make decisions."
Jude Bellingham netted Madrid's other goal as Ancelotti's team closed to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Madrid also have a game in hand on Hansi Flick's side.
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