December 24, (THEWILL) – The Carabao Cup match between Manchester City and Liverpool, on Thursday, was marred by a number of incidents of crowd trouble, according to the Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
City won the match 3-2 to advance to the next round, but in recent years there has been an increase in hostility between the two fan bases as a result of their new competitive rivalry.
On Thursday night, a 15-year-old girl was treated for head injuries after being struck by an object due to the unrest. Following the game, two men were detained on suspicion of attempting to bring a firework into the stadium, while a 53-year-old man was assaulted. A third man was detained for a racially aggravated public order offence.
Superintendent Gareth Parkin, the GMP match commander, said: “We are aware of a number of objects, including coins and a smoke bomb, that were thrown during the match. We will be investigating the incidents and reviewing CCTV from the night.”
Liverpool and City both denounced the “wholly unacceptable” occurrences in a joint statement that read: “These incidents will be fully investigated, reported to the police and the individuals who are found to be responsible will be subject to the sanction process of their respective club. Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC are fully committed to working together to eradicate these issues from our fixtures. They have no place in football.”
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