THE SECOND SIEGE OF OLD TRAFFORD
MANCHESTER United’s rearranged match against Liverpool went ahead despite the efforts of anti-Glazer protesters, who launched an attack on one of the away team’s coaches.
Eleven days after 200 United supporters broke into Old Trafford and caused the original match to be called off, protesters attempted to get the fixture postponed again.
A little more than two hours before Liverpool’s 4-2 win, in which Roberto Firmino scored twice, protesters parked cars in front of the Merseyside club’s team bus as it tried to get to the hotel to pick up the players.
About 40 protesters were present, some of whom tried
to let the air down in the bus’s tyres. Only the driver was on board at the time of the attack.
Riot police were called to push back the protesters and Liverpool had to use two other coaches to take the players to Old Trafford, where the away team claimed a win that moved it into to fifth, four points behind Chelsea with a match in hand.
There was a big security presence at the stadium because thousands more protesters had gathered to repeat their call for the Glazer family to sell United.
About 200 police officers
and stewards patrolled in front of the East Stand, where protesters broke into Old Trafford on May 2. A helicopter flew overhead as the protesters let off smoke bombs in front of a huge barricade that had been put up. Some had hoped to prevent the Liverpool players from getting into the ground, but the two coaches went in through a rarelyused entrance. Police horses charged at protesters on Wharfside Way to disperse them shortly before 7pm. There was a tense stand-off as the fans sang songs that called for the removal of the Glazer family. Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool
manager, reckoned that his side had been untroubled by the protests.
“We got information that something happened to our bus but that was before we were in. Our ride was fine,” he said.
United changed its prematch plans in an attempt to outmanoeuvre the protesters. It kept two empty decoy buses at the Lowry Hotel, where it stayed on May 2. On that occasion, the players were unable to leave the hotel because hundreds had gathered outside.
In a break from custom, the players stayed at home on Wednesday night and drove to the ground rather than take the team bus.