The Mancunian Way: Co-op Live chaos...again

An FA Cup final, Co-op Live drama, a big run, and a Premier League victory parade - it can only have been a bank holiday weekend in Manchester.

With the sun beating down, Manchester City fans could have been forgiven for thinking Saturday’s cup tie was set to be a repeat of their title-winning victory against West Ham the weekend before. But United had different ideas, and gave their fans something to cheer about, beating their rivals 2-1.

At the same time, American rapper Nicki Minaj was being detained at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport just hours ahead of her gig at Co-op Live. Questions over whether the concert would go ahead remained up in the air until gone 9:30pm, when - in what felt like a painful repeat of past events - thousands of fans were forced to leave the venue to the news the gig was cancelled.

There was just enough time for a few hours of sleep before the first runners taking part in Sunday’s Great Manchester Run took off. Tens of thousands pounded the streets in either the 10K or half marathon race, while thousands more lined Deansgate in support.

Shortly after acting as the finish line for countless runners, the city centre road was swiftly turned blue in order to play host to Manchester City’s victory parade. They may have been fresh from their FA Cup loss, but stars including Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, and Kyle Walker were all smiles as they celebrated atop an open top bus.

Nicki Minaj fans had planned for an incredible night out at the newly opened Co-op Live arena.

But it all started going wrong when the American rapper posted a video of her being arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol airport just hours before her performance. There were a few rushed tweets, and then silence, leaving fans wondering