First real test for Olympic Stadium ends in violence

Perhaps it always was wishful thinking that this match would pass off without any ugly incidents in the stands. Just as it seemed that West Ham United were drifting towards a largely peaceful and hugely precious victory over Chelsea in the League Cup, fighting broke out between home and away fans behind Darren Randolph in the home side's goal.

Stewards and police were forced to intervene, bottles flew through the East End air and at least two seats were thrown.

In amongst it all, Gary Cahill pulled one back for Chelsea with almost the last kick of a wonderful game. West Ham still went through to the last eight. Once again, however, there were serious questions to be asked of level of security inside their new ground.

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West Ham United and Chelsea fans exchange words during the League Cup, round of 16 match at the London Stadium. Photograph: EPA

The prospect of hooliganism had everyone on edge before the first truly big match to take place under the lights at the London Stadium.

Little has gone smoothly for West Ham United since moving to Stratford in the summer, from home fans fighting amongst themselves to issues over segregation inside and outside the ground, and the visit of their neighbours from the opposite side of the capital for an important cup tie brought with it the potential of more awkward headlines for the club’s hierarchy.

After all the scare stories, initially it was a relief to focus on the football when Cheikhou Kouyate’s header from an improbable distance almost took the roof of this sprawling stadium early on in this fiercely contested, brilliantly entertaining tie.

For the first time since leaving Upton Park, there was a sense that West Ham were finally starting to feel at home here, threatening to overwhelm Chelsea with their intensity at times, both sets of supporters creating a rare old atmosphere.

A home needs memories and West Ham have one to cherish on the pitch at last, their victory secured thanks to Edimilson Fernandes’s fine goal just after half-time.

With more than 5,000 fans in the away end, the enmity between Chelsea and West Ham fans meant that this was certainly the sternest test yet of policing and stewarding inside and outside the stadium.

Supporters were advised to arrive early, many nearby pubs stopped serving alcohol an hour before kick-off and this was the first time that the streets outside were packed with police vans and officers on horseback, while plans were in place for home fans to be herded away from the away end after the final whistle. The threat was not being taken lightly.

There are obvious imperfections that need to be ironed out, though, given that it took a while for all of the visiting Chelsea fans to make it inside the Trevor Brooking Stand, where only eight turnstiles were in operation on the night.

That was a potential flash point and there were reports of minor scuffles between rival supporters, while trouble began to brew as supporters postured behind stewards during the closing stages.

Moments of that nature helped to explain why there were almost 11,000 empty seats inside a stadium with a capacity of 57,000.

Wary of inviting disorder in home sections, West Ham decided that only people with a previous purchase history were allowed to buy tickets, while it was understandable that parents were uneasy about bringing children.

Back in the summer, it is unlikely that West Ham’s board envisaged that the stadium would not be packed for the first London derby under the lights, yet that was the unfortunate consequence of the shortcomings in security in previous matches.

The bottom line is that people will stay away if they do not feel safe. It costs a lot of money to buy a ticket these days and no one wants it come with the threat of a seat landing on top of their head.

“Your ground’s too big for you,” came the early taunt from the away end. Kouyate gave West Ham the lead moments later, however, and the stadium erupted.

For the first time, this slightly strange bowl of a ground was transformed into a bearpit. The distance between the stands and the pitch had no impact on the pitch.

How West Ham needed this glimpse of the good old days, hope for a brighter future, only for a foolish minority to ruin it for everyone else.

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