'Glad I didn't take my nephew' - Manchester United fans' tales from encountering Rangers fans

The choreographed clapping and dashes of blue were giveaways. In the K Stand, ostensibly a Manchester United fan stronghold. Visible groups of Rangers fans were brazenly showing their support - in the home section.

Rangers were allocated 3,768 tickets yet hundreds, maybe thousands, more were sprinkled across the home sections of Old Trafford for their Europa League tie. The away section was effectively extended by the Rangers supporters standing either side of the stewarding segregation.

When Cyriel Dessers equalised in the 88th minute, several Rangers fans around the ground could not conceal their delight. "And cue the fighting," a friend stood in the Stretford End - opposite K Stand - texted.

"We’d been warned that Rangers fans would be in the home end. Fights immediately broke out from every angle." A young female fan in the Stretford End messaged: "There were about six Rangers fans around me."

Several United fans looked as furious with the stewards for standing motionless while Rangers fans celebrated in their faces as they were with Harry Maguire for his mistake. Darren Fletcher, a Scot anticipating the scraps, got out of dodge and headed inside. He possibly missed Bruno Fernandes's 92nd-minute winner.

This correspondent had been warned of a repeat of the Galatasaray farce when thousands of Turkish fans infiltrated home areas to watch their team beat United 3-2 in October 2023.

Galatasaray fans were more restrained until after the full-time whistle that evening. Then they surfaced and attempted to join the away section to celebrate a famous victory.

A long-time season-ticket holder friend got in touch on Wednesday evening: "United have done their usual trick and repackaged normal tickets as 'corporate' and sold them