Aston Villa face a major FA inquiry, a substantial fine and the threat of a ground closure after West Bromwich Albion players appeared to be assaulted as the FA Cup quarter-final at Villa Park descended into chaos with an unrestrained pitch invasion joined by thousands of Villa fans. In alarming scenes, which were a throwback to the football hooliganism of the Seventies and Eighties, West Brom players were left defenceless as fans rushed on to the pitch. Scorer Fabian Delph claimed he was bitten, while Boaz Myhill, Craig Dawson and Callum McManaman all appeared to be barged aggressively, and the latter seemingly struck on the back of the head by one fan as Dawson attempted to shepherd him off. VIDEO Scroll down to see the moment a match official ran for his life during pitch invasion . Aston Villa supporters stormed the pitch following the club's FA Cup victory over West Brom on Saturday . Police attempt to halt fans who ran on to the pitch after Aston Villa booked their place in the semi-finals . The Midlands club could face an FA probe after hundreds of fans stormed the Villa Park pitch . West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill is mocked by an Aston Villa fan following the home side's second goal . The West Brom goalkeeper attempts to make his way off the field following the full-time whistle . In a comprehensive breakdown of crowd control, Villa fans had even invaded the pitch in injury time with their team leading 2-0, with referee Anthony Taylor having to stop the game and West Brom forced to play the final minutes with fans spilling on to the pitch and gathered on the touchline. On the final whistle, thousands of fans came on and even Villa players were threatened by the melee. Villa captain Delph, who scored the first goal in the 2-0 win, said: 'It was very, very scary. My armband got nicked, some got my boot but I could appreciate the relief the fans are feeling after a result like that. People tried to kiss me, and were biting me. It was dangerous.' Villa seemed to exacerbate the problem by playing the celebratory song 'Que Sera Sera' over the PA while fans were still streaming on to the pitch, and put a video of fans celebrating on the pitch on their official Twitter feed. Meagre numbers of police and stewards attempted to deal with the hundreds who invaded the field of play . A club statement read: 'The club does not condone supporters invading the field of play under any circumstances. 'We are very disappointed that what should have been a very memorable and proud moment for our fans was marred by the actions of those who could not control themselves. 'They have let both themselves and their club down. 'The club extends its sincere apologies to the Football Association, the West Bromwich Albion directors, manager Tony Pulis and all his staff and players.' West Brom manager Tony Pulis said: 'It's disgraceful. We don't want to see those scenes. They've beaten us and for that to happen, that's just mindless idiots. If you're Villa, you need to look at the stewards as they came over to our fans and there was nobody there. 'Aston Villa should look at the stewarding. It's a quarter-final, it's a full house and you know it's going to be tasty. So you should have stewards both ends of the pitch. 'Supporters were coming on with a few minutes to go. They were congregating at the ends anyway a few minutes from time, so it puts player at danger and you don't want to see that. We were seeing that in the Seventies and Eighties and we don't want to see that. 'I'm sure the FA will look at it without be poking my nose into it. If you ask me from a football point of view, if you had a load of stewards then it would be sorted out. Most of the grounds in the Premier League are well stewarded. I'm sure Villa are disappointed this has happened.' Scorer Scott Sinclair (second left) is mobbed by a fan and team-mates Ashley Westwood and Jack Grealish . Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood admitted he could understand the fans' emotions after the victory . Asked whether any West Brom players had been assaulted, Pulis said: 'I don't know. I didn't ask them. Everyone looked as though they had their heads and arms on. They looked OK to me. They got in, intact. It's happened. I'm more concerned with trying to stop it before it happens.' West Midlands Police confirmed on Sunday that they had arrested 17 men for various public order offences, including one on suspicion of assaulting an officer, and authorities are also investigating an incident in a nearby pub before the game. A police statement read: 'We carried out a large policing operation for the FA Cup yesterday evening (March 7) to ensure supporters could enjoy the game in a safe environment. 'During the course of the operation 17 men were arrested for various public order offences. An investigation has been launched to identify people involved in a disturbance before the match at the Witton Arms pub. 'Anyone who saw what happened should contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. 'We will also be supporting the Football Association to identify people involved in pitch invasions that happened at the end of the match.' The FA, who are believed to have had a 'crowd control advisor' present, will begin investigations tomorrow, asking Villa for their observations and their plans for stewarding. West Midlands Police will also submit evidence and the report of referee Taylor will be taken into consideration. Though Villa had a significant presence of stewards by the West Brom fans, there were far fewer by the Holte End where the Villa fans sit and they were quickly overcome by the scale on the invasion. West Brom boss Tony Pulis believes Aston Villa need to look at their stewarding following Saturday's incidents . Fans sing and chant on the pitch following Aston Villa's win during what has been a disappointing season . The FA can impose a range of sanctions from ground closure to fines, if the club have been considered negligent. There is no prospect of Villa being thrown out of the tournament but any ground closure or reduction in capacity could affect the team in their fight against relegation. The most likely outcome would seem to be a fine in the region of £100,000. Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood said: 'I didn't know West Brom players had been hit. I can understand the emotions of the fan beating their local rivals twice in a week but you can't condone fans coming on the pitch. We don't condone it, especially if anyone was touched. 'What can you do? The stewards did their best. I saw them rugby tackling a few guys. But when they're coming in such numbers it's difficult to stem it. 'It has been a good week. I'd rather talk about the football. The players want to dedicate the victory to the fans because they've had some hard times here. And we're going to need those fans. It's been a very good week but here's stil a lot of hard work and we need those fans every step of the way.' Mark Lawrenson, who was co-commentator for BBC1's coverage added: 'It's like a scene from the 1980s all over again. Absolutely ridiculous.' West Brom fans also acted irresponsibly, ripping out several seats in the away section and launching them onto the Villa fans below when Scott Sinclair scored the second goal. Goalscorer Fabian Delph claims fans nicked his captain's armband as well as his left boot during the invasion . The scene at Villa Park as hundreds of jubilant fans stormed the pitch shortly after the final whistle . One fan swings on the Villa Park crossbar as Tim Sherwood's side booked their place at Wembley .
Aston Villa beat West Brom 2-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals . Home fans invaded the Villa Park pitch and the club faces an FA probe . Goals from Fabian Delph and Scott Sinclair sealed the victory . Police arrested 17 men for public order offences .