Liverpool supporters arriving for their side’s Europa League last-16 second leg tie against Manchester United were greeted with a banner reading “murderers” on the outskirts of the city.
The message was tied to a sheet on a bridge over the M602 in Salford, just a couple of miles from Old Trafford and a route used by many Merseyside-based fans heading to the game.
It also contained the date of the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans died at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Police later removed the banner.
During last week’s first leg at Anfield, won 2-0 by the hosts, a number of offensive chants in reference to the tragedy were sung by a large section of the away end. Manchester United condemned the chants but Uefa took no disciplinary action as no reference to the chants was made in the Spanish match officials’ reports.
“It has always been the position of Manchester United that chants of this nature, which refer to historical tragedies, have no place in the game and do not reflect the values the club holds,” read United’s statement on Friday.
“We are in discussion with our fans’ groups to seek their support in preventing this type of behaviour in the future.”
