Fulham’s Carabao Cup victory at Wycombe was overshadowed by an ugly incident at Adams Park on Tuesday night when an assistant referee was struck by a missile hurled from the crowd moments after the final whistle.
Wycombe Wanderers confirmed the object, thrown from the terrace, struck one of the match officials as the players were leaving the pitch following Fulham’s 5-4 penalty shoot-out win.
The League One club has since launched an investigation to identify the culprit, promising strong disciplinary action once the individual is found.
In a statement, Wycombe 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.”
Police are expected to assist in the inquiry, with CCTV footage being reviewed to determine who threw the object.
The match official did not require medical attention, but the incident has drawn swift criticism from both clubs and football authorities, reigniting concerns about fan conduct in English football.
Fulham are hoping to win the Carabao Cup this season
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Fulham had booked their place in the next round after a dramatic contest that ended 1-1 in normal time.
Cauley Woodrow opened the scoring for the hosts before Josh King levelled for Fulham with a clever near-post flick from a corner to claim his first senior goal.
With neither side able to find a winner, the tie went to penalties, where Fulham held their nerve to triumph 5-4.
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Fulham needed penalties to beat Wycombe in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night
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Their joy, however, was muted by the unsavoury scenes that followed.
The assistant referee appeared visibly shaken as stewards and match officials swiftly intervened.
The Football Association is likely to await the outcome of Wycombe’s investigation before deciding on any further disciplinary measures.
Fulham boss Marco Silva, meanwhile, expressed his delight after his side were able to keep their hopes of silverware alive.
“We wanted to be in the next round. We are going to be there,” Silva said. “Of course, our obligation was to be in the next round.
“To be honest, I think throughout the game we did enough. We knew we had to be positive and keep positivity around ourselves because these types of things happen, where the first shot on target was a goal.
Marco Silva was a relieved man after Fulham's Carabao Cup victory over Wycombe
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"That’s football, and I told the players at half-time that sometimes things come against us and we have to face it in the best way we can.”
Silva also admitted that Fulham were better after the break, having struggled during the opening 45 minutes of the contest.
“The first half was not at a good level but we did create some chances – not clear cut chances – and we didn’t suffocate them like we should," he added.
“Second half, we pushed them back and created six or seven clear chances to score. That’s football – when you create like we created in the second half, we have to put the ball in the back of the net. We have to be clinical, we have to be ruthless.
“We are in the next round and that was the most important thing for us.
"In that away end full of our fans, I have to thank them for the support. We understand that they were unhappy at half-time with our performance.”