MANCHESTER UNITED’S clash with Liverpool has been DELAYED after fans broke into Old Trafford and invaded the pitch.
The Glazers, who were already unpopular, invoked fury among the Old Trafford faithful by signing the club up to the doomed European Super League project.
Meanwhile the teams have been named with mid-week hero Edinson Cavani on the bench for the Red Devils.
- Man Utd vs Liverpool DELAYED – after match was scheduled to kick off at 4.30pm UK time.
- Man Utd vs Liverpool is live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.
- To stream the game live, head to your Sky Go account.
- Non-Sky Sports subscribers can still watch all the action with a Now TV Day Pass from £9.99.
- Man Utd line-up: Henerson, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Greenwood, Pogba, Fernandes, Rashford.
- Liverpool line-up: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Kabak, Robertson, Fabinho, Thiago, Milner, Salah, Mane, Firmino.
Stay up to date with all the fall-out from Old Trafford in our live blog, below…
THE WAIT GOES ON
We should currently be 35 minutes into the latest episode of Manchester United’s series of goalless draws with Liverpool, but instead we still await confirmation of a new kick-off time.
Sky Sports anchor Dave Jones has just suggested that the longer this uncertainty goes on, the worse it is for everyone.
Manchester United fans are aware that their club have a Europa League semi-final second leg in Italy on Thursday to prepare for.
Liverpool fans know their players have had an exhausting season, and need to be fresh for one final push at qualifying for Europe.
Line of Duty fans need a decision to be made before tonight’s finale… as you well know, fella.
STADIUM SECURE
An Old Trafford announcement over the public address system has just advised stadium staff that the ground and its surrounding areas are now secure, and that they should return to their posts.
However, it remains unclear as to whether the protests that were taking place outside the Manchester United team hotel – understood to be The Lowry – have been similarly dispersed.
With no further news from the Premier League, the Sky Sports pundits are now debating whether the players will still be in the right frame of mind and required physical condition to play today.
OLD TRAFFORD CLEARED
Old Trafford and its immediate surrounding areas have now been cleared of crowds, and the path is clear for the team buses to peacefully pass into the stadium.
We still await confirmation of a new kick-off time.
The police move protesting supporters away from Old Trafford.
COPS OUT
A considerable police presence has grown outside of Old Trafford, and they are now attempting to disperse the hundreds of Manchester United fans still protesting.
The demonstrations have been peaceful until this point, but small skirmishes are now being reported on social media.
It is understood that the two teams remain in their hotels.
GARY BLASTS GLAZERS
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has just unleashed a superb rant in the direction of the Glazer family.
The Sky Sports pundit is furious with the manner in which the Old Trafford owners pushed for a European Super League, a move he believes would have spelt the end for many clubs in England and across Europe.
I think all football fans should unite behind what Manchester United fans have done today because what [the Glazers] did two weeks ago was really dangerous for English football: we should not forget that. They tried to walk away and cause a closed-shop league that would have created a famine in this country for every other club.
Gary Neville
UPDATE EXPECTED
The match officials have now made it inside Old Trafford but know as little as the rest of us in terms of when this game may kick-off.
Manchester United fans continue to demonstrate in their hundreds outside of the stadium in protest at how the Glazers are running their club, and the teams remain in their hotels.
A follow up from the Premier League is due imminently.
KICK-OFF DELAYED
The Premier League have informed us that kick-off at Old Trafford has been delayed.
As of yet, they do not have confirmation of a new scheduled start time.
Meanwhile, both teams remained locked down at their hotels.
LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTES
13 Adrian, 5 Wijnaldum, 8 Keita, 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain, 17 Jones, 20 Jota, 21 Tsimikas, 23 Shaqiri, 46 R Williams
LIVERPOOL XI
Liverpool also make two changes following last weekend’s frustrating draw with Newcastle. Nat Phillips has recovered from his hamstring trouble so returns to partner Ozan Kabak in central defence while James Milner comes in for Diogo Jota; Georginio Wijnaldum also drops to the bench. Those changes allow Jurgen Klopp to return to his favoured 4-3-3 shape with Fabinho back in midfield, and the incoming Milner captaining the side.
1 Alisson; 66 Alexander-Arnold, 47 Phillips, 19 Kobak, 26 Robertson; 6 Thiago, 3 Fabinho, 7 Milner; 11 Salah, 9 Firmino, 10 Mane
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBSTITUTES
1 De Gea, 3 Bailly, 7 Cavani, 8 Mata, 27 Telles, 31 Matic, 33 Williams, 34 Van de Beek, 38 Tuanzebe
MANCHESTER UNITED XI
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes two changes from the side that thumped Roma in midweek. Dean Henderson, the manager’s preferred number one for league fixtures, returns in goal in place of David de Gea while Mason Greenwood is in for Edinson Cavani. Greenwood’s return to the side is likely to see the youngster on the right with Marcus Rashford returning to the head of United’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
26 Henderson; 29 Wan-Bissaka, 2 Lindelof, 5 Maguire, 23 Shaw; 39 McTominay, 17 Fred; 11 Greenwood, 18 Fernandes, 6 Pogba; 10 Rashford
THE TEAMSHEETS ARE IN!
We still do not know when or even if this game will go ahead today, but the two clubs have released their starting line-ups.
REF GIVEN MARCHING ORDERS
Sky Sports News are reporting that match referee Michael Oliver has now been turned away from Old Trafford with hundreds of Manchester United fans demonstrating against the club’s owners, the Glazer family.
The players of Manchester United and Liverpool remain at their respective hotels as they wait for confirmation that the stadium and its surrounding areas are secure.
DAMAGE DONE
Reports are coming in that broadcasting equipment has been damaged amid protests from Manchester United fans on the pitch inside Old Trafford.
We know that earlier that the Sky Sports studio – open air and pitchside – was targeted with chants and at least one flare by demonstrating supporters.
There are now DOUBTS over this afternoon’s game going ahead as planned.
BUBBLE BURST?
There are suggestions filtering through on social media that some Man Utd fans remain inside Old Trafford despite the pitch being cleaed.
Meanwhile, there is a meeting ongoing between club officials, who are discussing whether Covid bubbles have been breached by the invasion of supporters inside the stadium.
WAITING GAME
The Old Trafford pitch has now been cleared of demonstrating Manchester United fans, but Sky Sports are reporting that the players and staff of the two clubs remain at their hotel and will only leave once they are happy that the stadium and its perimeters are secure.
As it stands, the Premier League are confident that the game WILL go ahead as scheduled.
PITCH CLEARED
The angry faction of Red Devils fans who were on the pitch appear to have cleared out.
HOW IT STARTED
In case you’ve missed the breaking news, angry Manchester United fans have stormed Old Trafford in protest at the Glazer family’s continued ownership of the club.
Thousands of angry Red Devils supporters turned up outside the Theatre of Dreams to voice their discontent at the club’s owners.
An angry faction of fans made their way past security and somehow managed to get inside the stadium before storming the pitch.
It’s unclear whether or not they’re still on the pitch or if they’ve been moved on.
United fans turned up in their droves to voice their anger at the Glazers Several flares were let off outside before things got heated CHOKABLOCK
Angry Red Devils fans have turned out in droves to protest the Glazer’s ownership of the club.
If the American family didn’t get the message before today, they will certainly will now.
BREAKING POINT
This is the moment Manchester United fans made their way into Old Trafford after bypassing security.
No social distancing, a lack of masks and plenty of screaming and shouting.
FLARES THROWN
The angry mob aren’t shy in voicing their angry towards the Glazers.
A number of flares have been thrown, one of which you can see in the video below.
CHAOS
The scenes outside of Old Trafford before the angry mob broke through the barriers and made their way onto the pitch.
IN JEOPARDY
MANCHESTER UNITED’s Premier League clash with bitter Liverpool is in doubt after furious Red Devils fans STORMED Old Trafford this afternoon.
Furious fans turned up to the Theatre of Dreams in their droves to protest the Glazers’ ownership of the club, which once again came under scrutiny after the club’s attempt to join the European Super League last month.
And somehow, they managed to get past security and make their way on to the Turf.
Hundreds of the Old Trafford faithful stormed the pitch and set off flares, some of which were thrown into the stand.
There’s currently no sign of security or police moving on the angry mob any time soon.
By the looks of it, this afternoon’s game against the Reds will likely be called off.
The crazy scenes from Old TraffordCredit: TWITTER
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
