Fans who broke into Old Trafford and entered the field of play have caused Liverpool's visit to Manchester United to be postponed, with players of both sides held in their hotel for the majority of the afternoon while police aimed to clear the area.
The protesters surrounded both the outside area of the players hotels while also storming the stadium and reportedly causing damage to both the pitch and pitch-side camera equipment before they were removed by police.
There were fears the lengthy wait for United to take on Liverpool would cause a backlog on this weekend's fixtures, with Tottenham scheduled to play Sheffield United at 7:15pm in north London.
Sky presenter Dave Jones issued anxious Spurs fan with an update prior to the confirmation of postponement: "It might still happen as we were saying this evening and regardless of what time it is pushed back to, we will bring it to you here on Sky Sports.
"The Spurs game is still scheduled to go ahead at 7:15 this evening and it might be that they’re running side-by-side, simultaneously at some point, if we are pushed back that far."
Manchester United issued a statement just after an hour after the clash was meant to kick-off, which read: "Following discussion between the Police, the Premier League, Trafford Council and the clubs, our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to the safety and security considerations around the protest today.
"Discussions will now take place with the Premier League on a revised date for the fixture, our fans are passionate about Manchester United and we completely acknowledge the right to free expression and peaceful protest, however, we regret the disruption to the team and actions which put other fans, staff and the Police in danger.
"We thank the police for their support in any subsequent investigations."
The Premier League have also issued an update, stating: "Following the security breach at Old Trafford, the Manchester United vs Liverpool game has been postponed.
"This is a collective decision from the Police, both clubs, the Premier League and local authorities.
"The security and safety at everyone at Old Trafford remains of paramount importance, we understand and respect the strength of feeling, but condemn all acts of violence, criminal damage and trespass especially given the associated COVID-19 breaches.
"Fans have many channels by which to make their views known, but the actions of a minority seen today have no justification.
"We sympathise with the Police and stewards, who had to deal with a dangerous situation which has no place in football.
"The arrangement of the fixture will be communicated in due course."
Jamie Carragher shed light on what some of the fans who entered the stadium had said to both him and co-presenter Gary Neville, claiming: "The frustration with the ownership and I must say I’m obviously a Liverpool supporter in this stadium with Manchester United fans coming past me, but I do think in this situation, football rivalry goes out of this.
"Listen, it’s been peaceful, there’s no problem in the stadium, I’m unsure about outside the stadium, but it’s been a peaceful protest. They’re very unhappy with their owners, not just of what they’re doing in terms of buying a striker, or buying a player in the summer, I think as supporters and how they’ve been treated at this club and how they’ve gone about it."
United legend Gary Neville claimed the game's postponement served as a severe 'warning' to the club's owners: "The reaction is that, I think it’s a warning to the owners of the football club that they’re not going to accept what they’ve done in the past couple of weeks. That’s the first thing, the second thing is we don’t quite know to the extent of what’s happened outside of the ground.
"We know some fans came in and they were reasonably peaceful, but if there has been a disturbance, then that’s not acceptable. But the reality is that the game has been called off today and the fans have spoken.
Neville added: "The fans spoke a couple of weeks ago about this proposal and there was a u-turn by the six owners in this country. It’s not going to go away because they don’t trust the owners of these clubs, they don’t like them, they think they should leave.
"Beyond today, it should be about reform and regulation and making sure they can’t do it again. Protesting is the right of every person in this country to do that. We must retain the fact they’re able to protest."
