An investigation was launched yesterday following a pitch invasion at the end of Birmingham’s League Cup win over Aston Villa.

Seven people were arrested and 14 injured, including four police officers, West Midlands police said.

The force added that an investigation into the violence had been launched in conjunction with the English FA.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish said the incident was a return to the “Dark Ages” of the 1980s when English football was synonymous with fan violence.

Police and stewards could not stop some thousand fans pouring onto the pitch at St Andrew’s following Birmingham’s 2-1 quarter-final win over city rivals Villa on Wednesday, with missiles being thrown. The invading Birmingham fans confronted Villa supporters in the Gil Merrick Stand, with dozens of seats ripped up and a flare was thrown back and forth between the rival groups.

West Midlands police have pledged to prosecute and ban fans responsible for the violence.

More than 400 police were on duty in and around St Andrew’s – at least four times the normal presence at a game.

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