Thank you to fans attending the Liverpool V Manchester City game today

Merseyside Police would like to thank the Liverpool and Manchester City fans who attended this afternoon’s game for their behaviour and co-operation.

Merseyside Police match commander, Chief Inspector Iain Wyke, said: “The vast majority of fans, both home and away, behaved impeccably and enjoyed the occasion for what it is – a fantastic football match between two passionate clubs and supporters.

“A great deal of work went into the planning for this fixture and I would like to thank both clubs and our partners who helped to ensure the success of this event.

“I would also like to thank the fans who were at the stadium, they were great ambassadors for their clubs.

“Out of a capacity crowd of 61,000, there were just eight arrests for offences including possession of a Class A drug, possession of a pyrotechnic and section 39 assault. Two other people were ejected from the stadium for public order related offences.”

He added: “The safety of all fans attending Anfield on match day will always be our absolute priority but we can only achieve this through the professionalism of the people who work at the event and through the co-operation of the fans themselves.

“Some media organisations have said that a route for the football coaches was confirmed prior to the game, which is not the case. However, we can confirm that the routes for the Liverpool and Manchester City coaches were changed as they were arriving at the ground. This was due to a high footfall in the area, which meant it would be too congested, and for safety of members of the public in the area the decision was made to alter the routes.”