THE TIMES
Despite pre-match appeals for calm from both clubs, last night's match between Manchester United and AS Roma at Old Trafford was marred by violence. In the hours before kick-off, fans fought running skirmishes, but the limited level of violence was incomparable to the scenes in Rome a week ago during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
The main source of the conflict was the holding of Roma supporters outside Old Trafford so they could be searched for bottles and other weapons by police officers. The 3,000 fans held outside the southeast corner of the ground proved an irresistible target for some United fans, who formed an opposing wall and sent a number of bottles and cans into the Roma crowd.
Police kept a ten-metre cordon between the opposing groups but were powerless to stop the missiles being thrown, mostly from within the United group. There were 21 arrests on the night, including fans from both sides. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that 14 United fans, including one juvenile, and seven Roma fans had been arrested, the majority for public-order offences.
Three of the seven Italian arrests were for shoplifting, believed to be from the Manchester United Megastore. A police spokesman confirmed that one officer had been hurt by a flying bottle.
Whereas the Roma fans were prevented from entering the stadium in the hours before kick-off and cowered against its walls, the United supporters seemed to revel in the stand-off.
"Where's you're f***ing Ultras?" they chanted, as mounted police and officers with dogs patrolled along the front line of the several thousand United fans. But in the minutes before kick-off, the United crowd disappeared to get to their seats. Several hundred Roma supporters were held outside.
"We were far too close to them," Alessandro Lane, 40, from Cagliari, said. "It was very dangerous."
THE GUARDIAN
Ugly clashes erupted between Manchester United and Roma fans last night despite a big police operation to prevent a repetition of violence between supporters. Bottles, other missiles and a firework were hurled, and riot police were forced to intervene, using baton charges, dog handlers and mounted officers, to make 18 arrests and restore an uneasy calm before the Champions League quarter-final clash.
At one point the skirmishes, which involved more than 100 people outside Old Trafford, threatened to overshadow the game, until Manchester United turned in a scintillating display, winning 7-1 to progress to the semi-finals of Europe's premier club tournament.
Tensions had been running high after the first leg in Rome when 11 United fans were taken to hospital and the club accused Italian police of handing out "indiscriminate beatings".
Anger surrounding last week's events appeared to have spurred a small section of United fans into seeking revenge. Bottles and cans rained down on Roma fans as they queued for security searches. United fans sang: "Where are your Ultras now?", a reference to the hardcore supporters blamed for ambushing fans in Rome.
Despite Greater Manchester police's claim that the Ultras were unlikely to travel to Manchester, one group of fans unfurled a banner proclaiming support for the hardcore group. They were involved in clashes in Sir Matt Busby Way, described by police as "isolated".
THE TELEGRAPH
It should have been solely an evening about events inside Old Trafford. There was sporadic violence between the two sets of fans and the odd flare exploding along the main approach to the stadium. It was made to look worse than it was by constant repetition on TV but inside the stadium there was no need for exaggeration - they just had to run a film of United's performance. Words were superfluous.
PA:
Fighting broke out just outside the ground two hours before the kick-off in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Sir Matt Busby Way.
Police moved in quickly to try to break up the trouble and calm the situation.
Despite their efforts, the tension between the fans appeared to grow, with Roma fans hurling a firework into a crowd of United supporters.
One eyewitness said there was a stand-off between hundreds of United and Roma supporters, with glass and plastic bottles being thrown.
He said one United fan with blood on his face had been led into the ground.
He added that Roma fans were having difficulty getting into the ground because of the congestion around the turnstiles.
He claimed a request by police for the ground to be opened early so the away fans could get into the ground had been turned down by the club.
The first leg in Rome last week saw fans involved in skirmishes, while Italian police charged United supporters with batons, a move condemned by the club who accused them of handing out "indiscriminate beatings".
Roma, who led 2-1 from the first leg, brought 3,800 fans with them to Manchester and a high police presence was deployed for tonight's return match amid a tense atmosphere.
A statement released by Greater Manchester Police said: "Officers patrolling at Old Trafford ahead of the Manchester United versus Roma match this evening have been required to deal with a number of small and isolated incidents.
"The incidents are being dealt with as they happen and are being resolved quickly.
"Some arrests have been made in order to maintain the peace at the ground.
"At this stage there are no reports of anyone injured."
Before the match started, two Roma fans who had tickets for the game said they were too scared to go inside the stadium for fear of potential harm after the game.
Father and son Alessandro Pinci, 53, and Matteo Pinci, 24, criticised Old Trafford officials for not letting the Roma supporters into the ground early.
Alessandro Pinci said: "We have been here since about 5pm waiting to get in. I do not understand why we were not allowed to go in early before the United fans arrived.
"We just had to stand there and shield ourselves as the bottles came flying at us.
"We were put in too much danger by being left outside the ground so late before the kick-off."
Matteo Pinci said: "This is not football. We do not want to go inside and watch the game because if we happen to win the tie then it will be war outside afterwards."
THE SUN
Rioting fans brought terror to Manchester United's stadium yesterday — just six days after the Battle of Rome.
Mounted police broke up a host of clashes before last night's grudge match between Roma and United.
Up to 100 Roma thugs were believed to have been involved in early trouble.
Later, hundreds of bottles, missiles and even firecrackers were hurled at thousands of the Italians queueing for Old Trafford.
Cops made at least seven arrests as violence see-sawed between factions.
More than 4,000 Roma fans travelled for the second-leg European Champion's League quarter-final clash, which United won 7-1.
It was only six days after 18 United fans were put in hospital — many with stab wounds — during appalling violence inflicted by Roma's notorious Ultras gang.