Eight men have been arrested and one charged following Manchester United’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Supporters were arrested in connection with a range of suspected offences, including possession of class A drugs, causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress through chanting, and a racially aggravated public order offence.

It came during a match that saw United eventually beat Liverpool 4-3 after extra time thanks to a last-gasp winner.

There were 72,000 fans in attendance and of the eight men arrested, five were Liverpool fans and three were United fans.

George Fenning, from Edinburgh, was also charged with possession of a pyrotechnic, class B drugs, and throwing missiles. He has since been bailed.

Chief Inspector Jamie Collins, silver commander for the match, said: “I would like to thank the vast majority of supporters who came along to enjoy what turned out to be an intense game right to the very last minute.

“Thanks as well to all our officers and partners involved in the operation yesterday who contributed to what was a fantastic FA Cup tie.

“The arrests made were the result of us taking a proactive, zero-tolerance approach to ensure that genuine supporters and spectators were able to enjoy the match safely.

“Greater Manchester Police (GMP) can confirm that a 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with tragedy chanting. Incidents of tragedy chanting will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.”

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He added: “We held a supporter group meeting with both sets of fans prior to the match and both groups agreed that tragedy chanting was totally unacceptable. GMP will clamp down on this and arrest those who engage in such behaviour, regardless of what team they support.

“We are also aware of footage circulating on social media of a Manchester United supporter engaging in tragedy chanting. No arrest has been made yet but GMP are working with both clubs to identify the individual in connection with this incident.

“I hope that these arrests will act as a deterrent to anyone attending future games.”

In a news release, GMP said Manchester United supporters aged 21 and 59 were arrested on suspicion of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress through chanting.

On Sunday, the FA issued a statement related to alleged “tragedy chanting” during the fixture.

It said it “strongly” condemns “any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums, and we are determined to stamp this behaviour out”.

The Premier League, which reposted the FA’s statement, added on X: “There is no place for football tragedy abuse in our game.

“We strongly condemn this behaviour and sanctions are in place to ensure anybody found guilty faces consequences. The Premier League, The FA and EFL encourage fans to show support in positive ways to ensure matches are safe and enjoyable.”

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