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.”
Dewsbury-Hall reunites with Maresca after signing for Chelsea
Chelsea have announced the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City on a six-year contract.
The midfielder follows his former Leicester manager, Enzo Maresca, into the club for a fee of £30million.
Dewsbury-Hall joined the Foxes at eight years old in 2006, progressing through the youth system before making his first-team debut in 2020, going on to make 129 appearances.
Last season, he played an instrumental role in Leicester winning the Championship, returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking, playing 44 times in the league - he scored 12 goals and 14 assists.
In an emotional post on Instagram, the midfielder bade farewell to the Leicester fans, saying: "Well what can I say? What a journey it's been. Seventeen years of my life devoted to this club, and it's been a pleasure. I've loved every minute of my time at this football club and created some memories & friendships I'll never forget.
"I'm very proud of what we achieved together last season - creating memories of a lifetime for us all. But bigger than that, hopefully going some way to righting the wrongs of that relegation season.
"I'm glad I'm leaving the club with them in the Premier League, where they belong, and wish Leicester City all the best in the upcoming season and further on. I'm one of your own, Leicester. But it's time for me to go now…"
Dewsbury-Hall is the fourth signing by Chelsea already in this transfer window, following Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu into the club.
Sane looking to replicate Yamal, Williams impact when Germany face Spain
Leroy Sane is hoping he can replicate the impact of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams when Euro 2024 hosts Germany face Spain in a huge quarter-final tussle on Friday.
Germany will face La Roja for a spot in the last four in Stuttgart after overcoming Denmark 2-0 in the last 16, while Luis de la Fuente's side beat Georgia 4-1 after falling behind.
Spain have arguably been the standout team at the tournament thus far, with the impact of their young wing duo Yamal and Williams turning heads.
Sixteen-year-old Yamal assisted as he became the youngest player to feature in a Euros match against Croatia in the group stage, also teeing up Fabian Ruiz against Georgia to become the first teenager with multiple assists at the Euros since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004 (also two).
Williams, meanwhile, netted a fine solo goal on Sunday, becoming the first player on record at the Euros (since 1980) to score, assist and complete 100% of his passes (46/46) in a game he started.
Yamal (11) and Williams (nine) rank joint-third and joint-seventh for dribbles completed at Euro 2024, with the former also fifth for the total distance he has carried the ball upfield (556.8 metres).
Having replaced Florian Wirtz in Germany's starting lineup against Denmark, Bayern Munich man Sane is desperate to match his fellow wingers.
"Especially when they win possession, they instantly look to play forward. They now have an added weapon with their two very quick wingers," Sane said of Spain.
"What happened in the past against Spain, we cannot change that. Our goal is to get to the next round and we will do everything we can to achieve that."
Sane endured a stop-start season with Bayern, with a groin problem he sustained during the Bundesliga run-in threatening his place at Germany's home tournament.
Reflecting on his disrupted preparations, Sane added: "I didn't know how long the injury would last and if I would make the tournament.
"At the end of the day I am here and happy that it worked out and that I could recover and be here for the Euros.
"It is not yet completely gone but it is much, much better than before. I have no pain any longer and that is very good.
"Before when I had a game I needed five or six days for the pain to subside. I don't have that anymore."
Southgate salutes England's 'togetherness and spirit' but acknowledges need for improvement
Gareth Southgate hailed the togetherness and spirit demonstrated by England, but acknowledged the need to improve ahead of their Euro 2024 quarter-final with Switzerland.
The Three Lions were considered one of the pre-tournament favourites to go all the way in Germany, but have produced generally underwhelming displays in their four matches so far.
England topped Group B despite winning just one of their three games, and were just seconds away from a humbling last-16 exit against Slovakia, until Jude Bellingham's sublime acrobatic effort spared their blushes.
Harry Kane then completed the turnaround in the early stages of extra time, as Southgate's relieved side scraped through to the last eight by the skin of their teeth.
Nevertheless, the England boss is adamant his players' last-gasp exploits against Slovakia will provide momentum ahead of facing Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
"There's no question it will give the whole group belief," said Southgate.
“We know we should be better than we've been, but we've ended up with a lot of young players in important positions and trying to solve problems right the way through the four weeks of the camp.
"But the standout is the way the players are dealing with it. Their togetherness, their spirit."
Southgate referred to the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 as similar instances where England were slow out of the blocks, before going on to reach the semi-finals at each tournament.
"Everybody now, 30 years on, looks back at [Euro] 96 in a different way to how it was at the time," the Three Lions boss added.
"We were bang average against Switzerland [in the opening game at Euro 96]. We were the same against Scotland; Scotland missed a penalty at 1-0 [down]. Spain should have beaten us in a 0-0 draw [in the quarter-finals].
"1990 was similar, so you do go through these moments in tournaments."
The 53-year-old will oversee his 100th England game in charge against Switzerland, becoming only the third Three Lions head coach to reach triple figures after Walter Winterbottom and Bobby Robson.
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