Arriving at the Greater Manchester Police Headquarters at 6pm on Thursday evening, it was hard to believe that one of the potentially busiest nights of the season for the force was only two hours away.

However, inside the imposing building was a host of specialists from GMP as well as North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue and local councils who had been working tirelessly watching everything that was happening six miles away at Old Trafford. In 2008, the city was hit by the 'worst levels of destruction since the Blitz' when a faulty stream in Piccadilly Gardens led to violent Rangers riots and 42 arrests being made.

As such, there was an air of trepidation from locals ahead of the return of the blue half of Glasgow to Manchester as they prepared to watch their side face Manchester United at Old Trafford. While the police were not quick to admit this same level of concern as many citizens felt, their planning for the near 80,000 strong attendance had been meticulous.

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Ever since the draw was made for the Europa League, plans had been put into place to police the event and ensure a repeat of what we saw in 2008. If United were to draw Rangers in a high-profile European match, there was a sense that this was how GMP would have liked it to unfold.

Prior to the game, we were shown a booklet that outlined a list of fan groups from Glasgow who could pose a threat on the evening. Working with Police Scotland on the ground, the objective was to make sure that these fan groups spent as little time as possible in the city centre before making their way to Old Trafford.

However, the complexities of the operation were not confined to the city centre and Old Trafford. Bowlers Exhibition Centre was hosting a watch-along of the game which thankfully passed without incident.

From the Silver Command Room, the different authorities brought together to minimize trouble had a bird's-eye view of the city and potential areas for flashpoints. Meanwhile, in the Gold Command Room, focus was very much on the immediate surrounding areas of Old Trafford with two cameras permanently fixed on the away entrance.

Initially, it appeared the horrendous weather had played into the hands of GMP as many supporters from north of the border chose to make an early arrival at the stadium. However, 45 minutes before kick-off news filtered through of potentially the worst incident of the evening on Great Ancoats Street.

What initially appeared to be 'low-level violence' soon turned into 26 arrests as United and Rangers fan groups decided to ignore dispersal orders. The hope among the force was that swift action now would deter further trouble later in the night.

Mostly this appeared to be the case and there was a sense of relief when the force met for one of their regular 'around the rooms' shortly after kick-off. While the Ancoats trouble had been swiftly dealt with, the match itself caused a further headache as it soon became apparent just how many Rangers fans had infiltrated the home ends.

This has become a regular occurrence at United European matches and it was unsurprising when the club made the call. At their own charge, the club requested a PSU (Police Support Unit) to enter their ground to try and move these away supporters towards their designated corner of the stadium.

In total, 25 officers entered Old Trafford to help deal with the problem but as footage showed, they could not stop some from slipping under the radar. Even with this occurring after the trouble in the city centre, GMP HQ felt like the calm in the storm.

There was no panic nor concern that things were going to reach fever pitch, even when Bruno Fernandes won the match late on. Cameras inside the Gold Command Room picked up unfortunate supporters beating the traffic, celebrating the captain's heroics.

As the full-time whistle was blown and United put themselves on the verge of automatic qualification to the knockouts, GMP moved into the final phase of the operation. This would pass without major incident as many Rangers fans were held back inside the stadium to allow home supporters to head towards the trams.

A couple of hundred black-clad Rangers supporters showed no interest in leaving the Old Trafford forecourt in a hurry as they stood in situe ready to goad the victorious home fans. Anybody who has been to a high profile match in the UK would have recognised the bravado on show instantly.

Little less than an hour after the final whistle and Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Chris Sykes delivered his final address to his team. By this stage there was a more jovial atmosphere in the Silver Command Room albeit the concern of Rangers fans remaining in Manchester overnight loomed in the background.

This positive tone from the ACC was evidenced as he greeted us for his final assessment on the evening. "It is a large fixture and we have welcomed some brilliant Rangers fans down from Scotland to compliment the United fans and generally the crowds have been really well behaved," he beamed.

"We have had a wide range of resources available, a tactical aid unit, mounted resources, the tactical dog unit, along with our other public order officers so we were able to nip things in the bud really quickly. We are really pleased at how nipping those things in the bud had such an impact.

"NWAS, fire service, British Transport Police, the councils - Salford, Manchester City, Trafford. A huge range of different resources were available from different partners.

"So there was a lot of agencies working together and this is why we joined the police. We have looked after over 80,000 fans who have come to a high profile match in Manchester.

"The world’s eyes have been on that match tonight and generally the fans have been great and I am really pleased with the way the plans have gone."