Manchester United and Manchester City players and staff clash in tunnel as Jose Mourinho is hit on head by bottle and doused in milk while coach Mikel Arteta is left with a cut to the head and Ederson confronts Portuguese boss
Manchester United and Manchester City players were involved in an ugly tunnel fracas as tempers boiled over after the derby.
United manager Jose Mourinho had water squirted at him, was hit on the head by an empty plastic bottle and was also doused with milk from a flying carton as a melee ensued involving some 20 players and staff.
Mourinho demanded City players show ‘more respect’ as music blared out of their dressing room and celebrations seemingly got out of hand following their 2-1 victory.
He had walked into City’s dressing room to make his feelings known and was confronted by City keeper Ederson. The two were involved in a heated exchange as they squared up, shouting at each other in Portuguese.
United players followed Mourinho into the corridor between dressing rooms, sparking the skirmishes. Witnesses said some players tried to swing punches while police looked on in disbelief. City feel Mourinho overstepped the boundaries by entering their dressing room.
Twenty players and staff were involved in the tunnel melee which will be dubbed the new Water-gate at the end of a crackling Manchester derby.
Eyewitnesses were staggered at the eruption that followed the final whistle. United believed City had celebrated too much following their 2-1 win and showed a ‘lack of respect’. City thought Jose Mourinho had encroached on their territory as he approached their dressing room to protest.
United’s manager had water squirted at him, was doused in milk and was hit on the head by an empty plastic bottle.