Everton kick-off delayed at new stadium

Kick-off for Everton's Carabao Cup second round tie against Mansfield was delayed on Wednesday to allow supporters "safe access" into the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The match was scheduled to begin at 19:45 BST but was put back by 15 minutes, with a large number of empty seats visible as the match got under way.

Everton said on 16 August that the tie was "sold out" at the 52,700 capacity venue, with Mansfield bringing 6,000 travelling fans.

The Hill Dickinson Stadium hosted its first official match on Sunday, as the Toffees beat Brighton 2-0 in the Premier League.

On the day of the EFL Cup match, Everton's social media channels including the fan services account, external on X were inundated with supporters complaining about apparent ticketing issues.

The move to the new stadium from Goodison Park has seen physical tickets replaced by a digital app, but some fans said they had not received their match tickets into their wallet by Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, the club said the match was delayed "to ensure all supporters have safe access into Hill Dickinson Stadium in time for kick-off".