10 Arrested After Liverpool vs Man City Clash as Police Officer Suffers Serious Injury

A police officer was injured and 10 people were arrested, five of them on suspicion of tragedy chanting, after trouble flared at Anfield on Sunday when Liverpool hosted Manchester City in a heated atmosphere. City won the game 3-0.

Merseyside Police said one man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of assaulting a police constable. The officer suffered a serious facial injury and was taken to hospital. The arrest was made on Anfield Road at around 18:30 BST, and the force said the officer “is now recovering at home”.

Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin called the behaviour “disappointing”. “The officers and stewards are there to protect the public and keep them safe, and it is extremely disappointing that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out that duty,” she said.

On the five arrests for alleged tragedy chanting, Hobin said: “The tragic loss of life should never be a subject for tribal point-scoring.” 

She added: “Football fans who chant about tragedies cause huge distress to the loved ones of people who died, and their behaviour has absolutely no place in football.”

She said the police would keep working with clubs to find those responsible. “We will continue to work with clubs to take action to identify any perpetrators and bring them to justice,” she said.

Of the other arrests, one fan was held on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and assault, two were held for affray, and one for throwing items onto the pitch.

Hobin also praised the crowd as a whole. “Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation,” she said.

The game was City’s first since the club was found guilty of 114 charges over breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, and the mood was tense from the start. City also avoided a large and angry crowd outside the ground by using a decoy bus and a back entrance. 

Liverpool fans held up half-and-half scarves reading “Shamchester City - The Cheats”, and the City line-up was met with loud jeers. Banners inside the stadium carried messages such as “A Generation Of Supporters Cheated”.