A police officer sustained a serious facial injury while making an arrest after the Liverpool v Manchester City match at Anfield on Sunday, Merseyside police have said, as the force confirmed that 10 arrests were made across a tense afternoon.
The fixture was highly charged, coming as City played their first match since it was confirmed they had been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. City won the match 3-0.
Merseyside police said one man was arrested on suspicion of two offences of assaulting a constable, five people were arrested on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and assault, two for affray and one on suspicion of throwing items on the pitch.
The force said that during one of those arrests, at 6.35pm on Anfield Road, an officer sustained a serious facial injury. The officer was taken to hospital and is recovering at home.
“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,” chief inspector Leanne Hobin said. “Inquiries into the full circumstances are ongoing so that anyone responsible for criminality can be brought to justice.”
Addressing the arrests for tragedy chanting, Hobin said: “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. We will continue to work with clubs to take action to identify any perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
Hobin added that the “overwhelming majority” of spectators had behaved well.