Carabao Cup horror as missile thrown at referee after penalty shoot-out

Fulham's victory over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup was marred by an unsavoury incident involving the assistant referee. The west Londoners barely escaped a cup shock on Tuesday evening, requiring a penalty shoot-out to overcome the League One side at Adams Park.

Nevertheless, the match grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons following the final whistle. In a statement, Wycombe disclosed that the assistant referee had been struck by a projectile and confirmed they would launch an investigation into the series of events that unfolded after the match concluded.

They said: "Wycombe Wanderers are disappointed to report that a missile was thrown from the terrace, striking an assistant referee, following the conclusion of tonight's Carabao Cup tie.

"The club strongly condemns this behaviour and is working to identify the individual responsible."

The encounter had progressed to penalties after Josh King's late equaliser nullified Cauley Woodrow's early opener for the Chairboys.

Fulham secured their place in the fifth round and will discover their next opponents in tonight's draw following a 5-4 penalty triumph.

It marks another occasion where a football fixture has been tainted by objects hurled from the crowd this campaign.

Earlier this season, Birmingham City striker Jay Stansfield was struck on the head by an empty bottle launched from the stands.

Blues manager Chris Davies revealed: "Jay said someone threw something and it hit his head. I didn't see what happened or know what that's about, but you don't want that in the game. Fortunately he is okay."

The Carabao Cup action resumes on Wednesday evening with Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all set to take the field.

The standout fixture of the round sees Spurs lock horns with Newcastle - a clash of Premier League titans to be broadcast live on Sky Sports.