Merseyside Police officer suffers serious facial injury during arrest after Liverpool v Manchester City

A police officer was taken to hospital with a "serious facial injury" sustained while making an arrest following Liverpool's Premier League clash with Manchester City.

Merseyside Police confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during its policing operation for the match at Anfield on Sunday.

In an electric atmosphere at the ground, the visitors were branded "cheats" by Liverpool supporters after an independent commission ruled that City had used sham contracts to pump £830 million of inflated income into the club over nine seasons.

The injured officer is now recovering at home following the incident on Anfield Road at around 6.35pm as supporters streamed out of the stadium. Police are currently carrying out enquiries, speaking to witnesses and trawling through CCTV and mobile phone footage.

One man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of assaulting a constable, five were detained 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.

Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said: "As with any fixture, Merseyside Police had a comprehensive policing operation in place, having worked alongside the clubs and fan groups to ensure the game can be enjoyed by all in a safe environment.

"Officers were on duty outside the ground to smoothly facilitate the movements of those travelling to and from the game, as well as minimise any disruption on the roads outside.

"The officers and stewards are there to protect the public and keep them safe, and it is extremely disappointing that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out that duty.

"Enquiries into the full circumstances are ongoing so that anyone responsible for criminality can be brought to justice."

On the matter of tragedy chanting, she added: "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.

"We will continue to work with clubs to take action to identify any perpetrators and bring them to justice. 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.

"Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation."