Police arrested two men, including one from Tennessee, and detained eight people in total following reports of tragedy chanting at Sunday’s Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester United.

A 28-year-old man from Hendersonville, Tennessee in the US, and a 46-year-old man from Church Warsop in Nottinghamshire were arrested by Merseyside police under section 5 of the Public Order Act (tragedy chanting).

Another six were detained and have been asked to voluntarily attend interviews on suspicion of the same offence. They include: a 42-year-old man from Hale, a 30-year-old man from Stockport, a 59-year-old man from Congleton, a 21-year-old man from Bala in Wales, a 50-year-old man from Manchester and a 52-year-old woman from Manchester.

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Chief inspector Lisa Ledder said: “Football fans who chant about tragedies cause huge distress to those families and people directly affected. The tragic loss of life is not a subject for tribal point-scoring, and this behaviour has absolutely no place in football. Regardless of team affiliation, we will continue to work with clubs to take action to identify and bring any perpetrators to justice.

“I hope the arrests of these individuals sends a clear message and acts as a deterrent to others that you risk getting a criminal record and ending up in custody if you choose to engage in this despicable behaviour.”