Football
PA Sport 8y

Subdued mood at Old Trafford ahead of rescheduled game

Security was at the forefront of thoughts as Manchester United's rearranged final Premier League game of the season went ahead in front of thousands of empty seats.

The match against Bournemouth was postponed on Sunday after the discovery of a fake bomb left behind following a security training exercise sparked a safety alert.

The stadium, which has a 75,000 capacity, was expected to be close to full at the weekend but that was not the case on Tuesday night after the game was rescheduled at short notice.

The second match kicked off on time, at 8 p.m., but amid a greatly subdued atmosphere.

Those that did attend were subject to security checks at the stadium perimeter and at the turnstiles.

Kevin Tanzil, a student from Singapore attending his first United game, said he was "overall satisfied" with the security. He said "perhaps they could check everyone's bag, but it could slow down the process."

Many fans who had travelled great distances on Sunday were unable to return despite United's offer of a refund and a free ticket.

Bournemouth supporters, facing the prospect of a second 500-mile round trip in three days, were also offered free coach travel by their club but their number was also greatly reduced.

United would have been playing for a place in Champions League qualifying had the game gone ahead on Sunday, but Manchester City's draw at Swansea effectively ended their hopes of reaching the top four.

Due to a vastly inferior goal difference, Louis van Gaal's men would need to win by an improbable 19-goal margin to overhaul their neighbours.

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