Police officer seriously injured as 10 arrested after Liverpool v Manchester City at Anfield

A Merseyside Police officer sustained a serious facial injury and 10 people were arrested during and after Liverpool’s Premier League match against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

The officer was hurt in an incident on Anfield Road at around 6.35pm as supporters left the stadium and is now recovering at home. Police confirmed they are speaking to witnesses and reviewing CCTV and mobile phone footage to establish the full circumstances.

The match took place in a highly charged atmosphere, with Liverpool supporters directing chants of “cheats” at the visitors following an independent commission ruling that Manchester City had used sham contracts to inject £830 million of inflated income into the club over nine seasons.

Of the 10 arrests, one man was held on suspicion of two counts of assaulting a constable, five on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of assault and being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.

Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it was “extremely disappointing” that an officer had been seriously hurt while carrying out their duty. “The officers and stewards are there to protect the public and keep them safe,” she said.

On the subject of tragedy chanting, Hobin was unequivocal: “The tragic loss of life should never be a subject for tribal point scoring. 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 added that she hoped the arrests would “send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” warning that anyone engaging in such behaviour “risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.”

Despite the incidents, Hobin noted that the overwhelming majority of the approximately 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well, and thanked them for their co-operation with the policing operation.