Liverpool fans risked missing Carabao Cup final after digital ticket fiasco

Liverpool fans were stranded outside Wembley ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea. 

The club issued digital tickets for the showpiece event but there were reports of those tickets not working at the stadium. 

Supporters on the ground confirmed that affected fans were being directed to the ticket office, where paper tickets were being printed out. It is understood Chelsea provided their fans with paper tickets. 

It would appear the QR codes failed to show for some fans, with barcodes appearing instead, and meant they had to re-download the tickets from their original emails.

Liverpool delivered a message on X, formerly Twitter, on the issue: "If your ticket is showing a barcode, please remove it from the wallet and re-download from the original email. The ticket should then show a QR code which will allow entry into the turnstile."

Around 85,000 Liverpool and Chelsea fans were expected to descend upon Wembley for the final, a repeat of the 2022 event when the Reds beat Chelsea on penalty kicks.

The game was originally scheduled for 4.30pm but was moved to 3pm at the request of the Metropolitan Police.

A Liverpool fan wrote on the Telegraph live blog: “Lots of confusion as digital ticket holders appeared to have time slots for entering ground. Understandably, few realised this and were not happy at being told they could not enter. Stewards were not allowing these fans in, adding to queues that, at 1.15pm were relatively short.”

Liverpool Lime Street train delays and cancellations

Meanwhile there were also reports of train delays and cancellations impacting Reds travelling south on Sunday morning.

Avanti West Coast trains from Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston were affected, as were London Northwestern Railway trains between Lime Street and Birmingham New Street.

Damaged overhead electrical wires between Runcorn and Crewe were causing the disruptions, according to National Rail, and trains running between Liverpool and Crewe could be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes on short notice.

Rail replacement bus services were in place for those travelling between Crewe and Runcorn.

Disruptions were expected until 1pm with Liverpool fans taking to social media to express concerns about missing the match.