Ten arrested and police officer seriously hurt at Liverpool vs Manchester City at Anfield

The security operation for Sunday's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield ended with ten arrests and one seriously injured officer. Merseyside Police confirmed that the officer suffered a serious facial injury while making an arrest on Anfield Road at around 6:35pm, just as supporters were leaving the ground. The officer is now recovering at home.

• Ten people were arrested during the policing operation for Liverpool vs Manchester City.
• One officer suffered a serious facial injury while making an arrest outside Anfield.
• Five of those held were arrested on suspicion of tragedy chanting.
• One man was arrested on suspicion of two assaults on a constable.
• Officers are reviewing CCTV and phone footage to identify further suspects.

Ten arrests during the Liverpool vs Manchester City policing operation

Sunday's match between Liverpool and Manchester City produced ten arrests across the operation organised by Merseyside Police. The force had worked with both clubs and fan groups in advance to plan the policing of the fixture.

The list of arrests shows how tense the visit of Manchester City was. One man was held on suspicion of two offences 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.

Officer left with serious facial injury during arrest outside Anfield

The most serious incident took place on Anfield Road, one of the main routes away from the stadium. At around 6:35pm, an officer sustained a serious facial injury while making an arrest. The officer is now back at home recovering, Merseyside Police said.

The investigation is still open. Officers are speaking to witnesses and analysing both CCTV and mobile phone footage taken by fans in the area. The aim is to establish exactly how the assault happened and whether anyone else was involved.

Tragedy chanting and a heated atmosphere at Anfield

The atmosphere at Anfield had been charged well before kick-off. Liverpool supporters berated the Manchester City players as 'cheats' after an independent commission ruled the club had used sham contracts to inject £830 million of inflated income over nine seasons.

Against that backdrop, Merseyside Police arrested five people on suspicion of tragedy chanting, behaviour that the authorities in England now treat with particular severity. Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin was blunt about the issue.

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.

Police warning: more arrests and criminal records to come

Merseyside Police is working with clubs to identify those responsible for the chanting and bring them to justice. Hobin hopes Sunday's arrests will act as a warning for future matches.

I hope the arrests today send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others. Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.

The force noted that the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and thanked them for their cooperation. Anyone with information about incidents at the match can contact Merseyside Police on X or Facebook at @MerPolCC, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.