Hello and welcome to LIVE updates of what should be the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford. However, the pre-match countdown has descended into a bit of chaos following the disruption of protests from United supporters in response to the ESL and the club’s owners. Kick off was due for 16.30 BST, but there have been serious doubts raised as to whether the game will even go ahead at this point. We'll keep you posted as the story continues to develop.
Premier League / Matchday 34
Old Trafford / 13.05.2021
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- B. Fernandes(10')
- M. Rashford(68')
- Diogo Jota(34')
- R. Firmino(45+3', 47')
- M. Salah(90')
Live
Live Updates
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Updated 13/05/2021 at 21:28 GMT
16.40
It seems there is more optimism that this match will go ahead at some point this evening. It's being reported that the PL are determined to make it happen. Once we have confirmation of a potential kick off time, we'll post it in this live.
16.35
Large areas around Old Trafford have now been cleared by police. There are still a few hundred fans around the ground but it seems the numbers have certainly decreased.
16.30
Reports from around the ground suggest that mounted police are forcing supporters to back off to some extent. Still no news on a potential kick off time.
16.25
There is a large police presence outside Old Trafford now but there's still a large number of supporters there too. No news of the teams leaving their respective hotels to head towards the stadium either.
16.20
The thousands of Manchester United fans protesting are using the slogan "50+1, # ProtectTheLegacy." It is a rule used in German football to prevent financial superpowers from ruining the game. Basically this allows the fans, those that actually pay to watch the action, control over who is on the board.
16.15
Gary Neville is speaking passionately about the protests at Old Trafford on Sky Sports: "This is a consequence of the Manchester United owners' actions two weeks ago. There is a general distrust and dislike of the owners, but they weren't protesting two or three weeks ago."
16.10
PHOTO: Supporters protest against Man United's owners inside Old Trafford.
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Image credit: Getty Images
16.05
Meanwhile referee Michael Oliver, who was denied access to the ground earlier, has now been granted entry.
16.00
Apparently there is a meeting scheduled for now (4pm) between PL officials and the two clubs. A suggestion of a 6.30pm kick off is being mooted but not set in stone.
15.55
Our social media channels fell silent from 3pm on Friday and will remain so until midnight on Monday as we join others in taking a stand against hate on social media platforms. We will therefore not be embedding social updates in this live. We are hearing rumours that ‘touch points’ will need to be cleaned at Old Trafford which could take a few hours. Will we have an evening kick off? Or could it even be postponed until another day?
15.50
It has been confirmed that there WILL be a delay to the kick off. More details from 16.00 BST.
15.47
CONFIRMED TEAMS - MAN UTD: Henderson, Shaw, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Fred, McTominay, Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood, Rashford… Subs: De Gea, Bailly, Cavani, Mata, Telles, Matic, Williams, Van de Beek, Tuanzebe. /// LIVERPOOL: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Phillips, Kabak, Fabinho, Milner, Thiago, Mane, Salah, Firmino… Subs: Adrian, Wijnaldum, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Williams.
15.46
Despite the fact the two squads are yet to arrive at Old Trafford due to the breach of security at the ground, the team sheet has been released.