Cup clash marred by crowd trouble

Four supporters were arrested after crowd trouble flared during the second half at tonight’s Carling Cup tie between Liverpool and Millwall at The New Den.

Away fans alleged the violence was sparked by chants relating to the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.

Two supporters from either side were arrested and 68 seats were ripped up. Seats were also thrown from the upper tier of the stand containing Liverpool supporters, while fans in the lower tier of the away end rushed towards their Millwall counterparts and riot police were required to quell the damage.

A disabled fan was injured at the perimeter of the pitch as supporters in the Liverpool end poured forward, while three supporters from the Liverpool section and one from the Millwall section were ejected.

Former Liverpool skipper Phil Neal works as a charity co-ordinator for the families involved in the Hillsborough tragedy and was at the game as a co-commentator for Merseyside radio station Radio City.

He said: “I just want to forget about the bad experiences. I came here and I just wanted to watch a game between Millwall and Liverpool under normal circumstances.

“If it was chants about Hillsborough that started the violence, then it was totally unnecessary.

“That was 15 years ago and the Heysel Stadium disaster was 19 years ago. Seeing what happened tonight made me rather subdued, and I had to apologise to my listeners because I did not say anything for about 20 minutes.”

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said he had seen “something” of the violence and added: “In the stadium you want to see only good football.”

Thirty-nine people were killed at Heysel, in Brussels, before the 1985 European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool, and 96 died at Hillsborough four years later.

Liverpool won tonight’s game 3-0.