The second test event at 's new stadium saw fans queuing for hours to get home, while delays to public transport caused additional chaos after the final whistle. The brand new 52,888-seater arena will replace Goodison Park at the start of next season, with the latest step in the historic transition coming on Sunday afternoon. A test event saw Everton under-21s go up against Bolton Wanderers before a planned evacuation took place in the second half.

All four sides of the ground were open as 25,000 fans got to experience a match at the new stadium, many for the first time. Everton youngster Kingsford Boayke scored the only goal of the game before an evacuation was announced after 65 minutes. It took place in order to help the club secure a safety licence ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Things did not go as smoothly as organisers would have liked, though. After the evacuation, many fans were caught up in travel chaos with the sheer number of people attempting to leave the area causing problems outside the ground.

Hundreds of people were seen queuing to get across the Bascule Bridge, on Regent Road, for hours after the planned evacuation. Clips on social media showed large groups of supporters being forced to wait in a line stretching back as far as the eye could see.

Everton fan @Luke_M20 posted a video on with the caption: "This needs sorting in my opinion. Having to stop every few steps because the bridge can't handle more weight. This will be chaos at full capacity. They had four years to sort it."

Other videos showed huge queues at Sandhills train station, which is around a 15-minute walk from the stadium.

wrote: "Queues all the way down the road and this is only 25,000 fans. Need to sort something fast before next season."

added: "It's inadequate. I'm a local resident and it's bad enough on a sunny day when loads decide to go to Southport and also Aintree races. Factor in this is a dry day, wait till it's winter, lashing down, people aren't going to want to wait in a conveyor belt for a train."

A representative for Merseyrail said that delays were caused by a trespasser on the line and apologised to those affected. They added: "We are monitoring services during today's test event and will evaluate how we can improve."

Everton, meanwhile, described the test event as a 'resounding success' but noted 'some learnings from an operational perspective', vowing to consult fan groups and local authorities.

Interim chief executive Colin Chong said: "This was a hugely important step in our transition to Everton Stadium and we are delighted with how the stadium and our protocols handled the increase in capacity.

"Following the first test event we received a lot of positive feedback on the matchday experience elements and the food offer, while we also took on board some learnings from an operational perspective.

"We will continue to engage with local authorities, city stakeholders and fan groups about the long-term travel plan through the Transport Working Group."