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Rio Ferdinand hit in the face with a coin while celebrating Manchester derby winner

Dirty Tackle

What turned out to be a Manchester derby that lived up to the hype ended in disgrace as Robin van Persie's late winner for Man United was followed by an unwanted sampling of ugliness at the end of the match. Man City came back from 2-0 down to delight the home crowd in the 86th minute, but Van Persie's injury-time free kick was deflected by Samir Nasri and curled into the corner of Joe Hart's net (gif here).

As Man United celebrated the goal, a smoke bomb went off on the pitch and Rio Ferdinand was hit above the eye with a coin just as he was about to whip off his shirt in front of City fans (gif here). The coin left Ferdinand bleeding as Joe Hart held back a pitch-invading City fan.

It's just a shame such an entertaining match had to be tainted by the violent expression of frustration like that.

UPDATE: Man City released an apology for the fan behavior at the match. From their official website:

Manchester City FC security officials are co-operating fully with Greater Manchester Police in relation to events leading up to the throwing of missiles onto the field of play, and between the two sets of supporters, during today's game against Manchester United.

Manchester City wishes to offer its sincere apologies to Rio Ferdinand. The Club unreservedly condemns the actions which led to his being injured.

GMP's review of all fan behaviour at today's match will be fully supported by the Club, through the provision of CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts. Following this review, and any associated police action, the Club will also apply its own disciplinary policies for any fans found guilty of offences.

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