A large group of Manchester United fans angry at the direction of the club under its American owners were taking part in a protest ahead of the Premier League game against Liverpool on Monday.
The supporters chanted against the Glazer family — “We want Glazers out” — and held banners calling for the Americans to sell United as they walked from a nearby pub toward the club’s storied Old Trafford stadium during the hour before kickoff of one of the biggest matches in English soccer.
There appeared to be a large police presence on Sir Matt Busby Way at the entrance to the stadium forecourt.
The players from both teams arrived at the ground before the protest started.
Discontent has soared following United’s poor start to the season, which has seen the team lose both of its games — 2-1 at home to Brighton and a 4-0 humiliation at Brentford.
The target of the majority of the anger is the Glazer family, which bought United in 2005 with a leveraged takeover that loaded debt onto a club which previously didn’t have any. Critics say the Glazers, who also own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have failed to invest enough of their own cash in the squad or facilities and have presided over years of failure by England’s biggest team.