Greater Manchester Police released a statement after Manchester United’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Heated clash
United vs. City is unsurprisingly almost always a heated affair and this edition was no different as the two sides locked horns.
Drama struck early as Phil Foden was given his marching orders for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes. After the United skipper bundled him down and provoked him, the City man took the bait and was dismissed.
The incident has ignited fierce debate, with Roy Keane taking aim at Fernandes for his theatrics and Alan Shearer slamming the Portugal star as “pathetic” for getting an opponent sent off.
But the biggest talking point came at the hour mark when Erling Haaland put City ahead. Initially, the Norwegian striker was flagged offside. VAR then intervened and after a lengthy check, upheld the goal. Replays clearly showed that Enzo Fernandez made an attempt to head the ball, an act that was oddly overlooked by the match officials.
Pro Ref issued a statement after the final whistle confirming that VAR had made an error of judgement. They also said that they had reached out to United over the matter.
Michael Carrick was angry after the final whistle as he tore into the officiating. Lisandro Martinez echoed his manager’s sentiments, explaining that United had suffered an “injustice.”
Before the match, there was a massive fan protest as supporters marched against the owners and specifically, ticket price hikes in recent months.
According to Greater Manchester Police, a total of 17 arrests were made on the day.
GMP statement
GMP said, “Tens of thousands of fans travelled to Manchester to watch one of the biggest fixtures in the football calendar. In total, 17 arrests were made across the day for a range of offences, including assault, public order offences and tragedy chanting.”
“Officers utilised Live Facial Recognition technology, which identified one individual who was wanted for domestic abuse offences and subsequently arrested and taken into custody.”
Chief Inspector Gareth Firth, from our Specialist Operations Unit, remarked, “The match was particularly busy this year as we dealt with a planned protest before kick-off.”
“Working alongside staff from Manchester United, officers acted quickly to identify and deal with incidents before they escalated.”
“While arrest numbers were higher than we would typically expect for this fixture, this reflects the proactive approach taken by officers throughout the operation to prevent disorder and keep people safe. We would like to thank the overwhelming majority of supporters who attended the match, enjoyed the occasion responsibly and helped ensure the event passed safely.”
United are next in action on Wednesday when they face Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images
