Rival Manchester United and Manchester City fans brawled in the streets of London ahead of the FA Cup final.
Video footage posted on X showed a group clashing near a bus stop in Station Road, Harrow in the lead-up to the Wembley match.
One shirtless fan was seen grappling on the floor at a bus stop with traffic at a standstill before more men pile in.
Kicks and punches were thrown – and bottles thrown – during the shocking scenes in the hours ahead of the eagerly-anticipated final.
Chants of ‘United, United’ can be heard in the background during the scrap which continued right across the road as horrified shoppers watched on.
Rival Manchester United and Manchester City fans brawled in the street in Harrow, London ahead of Saturday afternoon’s FA Cup final at Wembley
One shirtless supporter was left sprawled out in the road after fighting with a rival fan
Dozens of fans piled in, with kicks and punches thrown and bottles smashed on the road
The scrap spilled over the road at a bus stop in Harrow ahead of the Wembley showpiece
The fight occurred on Station Road, near Harrow-on-the-Hill underground station
Nearly 90,000 spectators are at Wembley for the eagerly-anticipated final, a repeat of the same match last season, which City won 2-1.
Fans of the two sides were allocated certain pubs to drink in across north-west London ahead of the match but that didn’t stop the clashes in the street.
Police were concerned about the prospect of violence between fans of the two Manchester clubs, but also with fans of Leeds United gathered in London for Sunday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley.
This prospect was discussed at security meeting even before it was known Leeds had made the final.
As Mail Sport revealed last week, City and United fans were advised to take different road routes to London as part of a major cup final security operation.
With both sides taking around 36,000 fans to the game, they were told to use different motorways and service stations between Manchester and the Capital to try and avoid potential flashpoints.
Police asked United fans to travel down the M6, M42 and M40, and City fans to use the M1.
Police intervene to defuse an altercation between fans on Wembley Way pre-match
Over 1,000 police officers were on duty at the match in an effort to prevent violence
There was a considerable police presence on Wembley Way in an attempt to deter trouble
City fans display a banner supporting their side ahead of Saturday’s Wembley showpiece
Manchester United fans show their support with 36,000 tickets given to each of the clubs
Last year there were reports of clashes at Newport Pagnell services on the M1 and Oxford Services on the M40 after City’s 2-1 win.
The kick-off time for this year’s game was brought forward to 3pm on police advice, to the disappointment of broadcasters who wanted a primetime slot.
Over 1,000 police officers will be on duty around Wembley to deter trouble.
