Liverpool goalkeeper Harvey Davies earned his fifth clean sheet of the season as Crewe beat Notts County 1-0, but the game was marred by trouble among fans.
Davies, 20, has been an ever-present for League Two side Crewe so far this campaign, starting all 20 games across the league, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
It has been a largely successful stint, too, with his side sitting fourth in League Two having lost only three of their 17 fixtures to date.
Saturday brought a vital win over promotion rivals Notts County, which saw them leapfrog the Nottingham club into fourth and stay within six points of leaders Stockport.
The victory brought a second consecutive clean sheet in the league for Davies, but came in controversial circumstances, with the game halted late on due to crowd trouble.
Really ugly scenes here at #CreweAlex v #Notts pic.twitter.com/OFjSZsdUXa
— tomhwilliams23 (@tomhwilliams23) November 11, 2023
Davies had made three crucial saves to keep Crewe in the game, before a stoppage-time penalty was awarded due to handball from Notts County’s Jodi Jones.
The Notts County fans were incensed by the decision from the linesman, with the official claimed to have been struck by an object thrown from the crowd.
Fans also encroached onto the pitch, needing intervention from police and stewards, while the game was delayed for 13 minutes.
Police now involved wow unbelievable scenes #Notts pic.twitter.com/UaqOP1GpLq
— tomhwilliams23 (@tomhwilliams23) November 11, 2023
Eventually, the two linesmen switched flanks and the final minutes of the game were able to be played, with Crewe taking all three points as Courtney Baker-Richardson converted the spot-kick.
The game had already seen fourth official Richard Wigglesworth take over from original referee Simon Mather, due to injury suffered minutes before the penalty was given.
A Notts County statement released hours after full-time read: “Following the disruption in play during this afternoon’s match, we will be working closely alongside Crewe Alexandra and the relevant authorities to assist with investigations.
Following the disruption in play during this afternoon’s match, we will be working closely alongside Crewe Alexandra and the relevant authorities to assist with investigations.
We are unable to comment further until these investigations have concluded.
— Notts County FC (@Official_NCFC) November 11, 2023
“We are unable to comment further until these investigations have concluded.”
Davies was heavily involved throughout Crewe’s victory, in the rare instance of a goalkeeper having more touches of the ball than the majority of his team-mates.
Per FotMob, the Liverpool loanee made 57 touches, with only three Crewe players ending the game with more and only 10 across both teams.
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