Aston Villa have apologised to supporters who were forced to queue for tickets in freezing temperatures before last night's Worthington Cup quarter-final against Liverpool.
The game at Villa Park, which Liverpool eventually won 4-3, kicked off 80 minutes later than scheduled because of crowd congestion caused by thousands of fans trying to collect their tickets on the night.
"Aston Villa Football Club wish to apologise to all supporters who were inconvenienced by the delay," the club said in a statement.
The delay was caused by congestion as supporters queued for reserved tickets at the stadium's ticket collection points.
"The kick off was therefore delayed to ensure the safety of all supporters after consultation with the police. Both the club and the police wish to place on record their gratitude for the patience of all supporters in difficult circumstances."
Villa said the chaos arose because more tickets than usual were sold for collection at the stadium on the night "because of the potential for delays caused by the Christmas post".
"The club will now be reviewing the evening's events in order to ensure there is no repeat of this regrettable incident," the statement added.
Liverpool won a thrilling game with a stoppage time goal from Danny Murphy to set up a semi-final against first division club Sheffield United.