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Man Utd chaos vs Real Betis as fans clash with missiles and belts and riot police involved
Objects were seen being thrown from the away end during Manchester United's Europa League tie with Real Betis.
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Manchester United's Europa League clash with Real Betis ended in chaos as trouble erupted in the away end between the away fans, forcing police to intervene at Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag's side came away with a comfortable 4-1 success on Thursday night but the situation was much more tense in the stands as Betis supporters were reportedly seen launching objects into the home crowd.
Ugly scenes unfolded before the final whistle as it was reported Betis fans tried to enter the section where Manchester United fans were situated. Objects were then thrown at Wout Weghorst as he celebrated in front of them, which only provoked further anger.
Stewards stepped in and managed to prevent them from spilling into the home crowd, but riot police were called in to defuse the situation when missiles appeared to be thrown from the away end.
A number of Betis fans climbed up onto a barrier to get into where United fans were seated in the south stand at Old Trafford.
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Police formed a line to stop supporters getting over the barrier, but scuffles soon broke out between them and the Spanish fans as tensions rose inside the stadium.
Both sets of fans could be heard trading verbal insults as footage emerged of clashes on social media, where Betis fans angrily confronted their English counterparts. At one stage, seats were ripped out of the stands and could be seen being launched into the air.
According to The Athletic's Laurie Whitwhell, one of the Betis fans 'tried to whip' United supporters over the green netting using his belt. The situation was eventually calmed down before it could spiral out of control and police got a handle on the issue before the final whistle was heard.
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It threatened to mar what had been an evening of celebration for Erik ten Hag's men, who celebrated a comfortable 4-1 victory over the Spanish opponents to put one foot in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Responding to their 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool, United star Marcus Rashford fired in his 26th goal of the season after just five minutes before Ayoze Perez equalised on the half-hour mark.
But United found another gear in the second half with Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Weghorst all scoring to record an impressive win over the La Liga side. They will now travel to Seville for the second leg with a healthy three-goal cushion for the return leg.
It remains to be seen whether UEFA will decide to act over the fan trouble inside Old Trafford after the scenes unfolded on Thursday, and whether that could affect Betis fans being at the Benito Villamarin in a week's time.