A handful of Manchester City fans were ejected from Old Trafford for allegedly mocking the Munich Air Disaster during Sunday 's 4-2 derby defeat by Manchester United . Stewards threw out the group who were said to be attempting to taunt home supporters by making airplane wings in a sick reference to the 1958 tragedy . A total of 23 people perished after a plane carrying Matt Busby 's talented young side crashed during a take-off attempt from Munich after refuelling following a European Cup clash against Red Star Belgrade . A handful of Manchester City fans were ejected from Old Trafford for allegedly mocking the Munich Disaster . Manchester United won 4-2 , with goals from Ashley Young , Marouane Fellaini , Juan Mata and Chris Smalling . Among the death toll was former Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift , who was covering the match as a journalist . However , a minority of visiting supporters were accused of performing the gesture and were quickly thrown out by stewards . Police praised the 'overwhelming majority ' of supporters at the clash after just eight arrests were made . Fears had been raised over the 4pm kick-off time with some concerned the extra time in the pub it allowed could increase the risk of alcohol-fuelled disorder . Police on Merseyside had previously launched a legal challenge to the Everton versus Liverpool clash starting at 5.30pm on a Saturday but their counterparts in Greater Manchester were confident they could handle a late afternoon kick-off . A scuffle described by officers as 'minor ' broke out between rival United and City fans outside the stadium following the final whistle but those involved were quickly dispersed and the match passed without major incident . Young 's goal delighted the Old Trafford crowd , the majority of whom were praised for their behaviour . Police praised 'the overwhelming majority ' of fans , after just eight people were arrested at the derby . Of those arrested , one was held on suspicion of ticket touting , another for an alleged assault on a police officer who was kicked in the head and a third was accused of assault . One man was arrested on suspicion of committing a racially-aggravated offence following alleged comments made about Ashley Young following his equalising goal for United . Three were arrested for alleged public order offences and another was held on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly . Chief Superintendent John O'Hare hailed fans ' behaviour . He said : ' I would firstly like to praise the overwhelming majority of fans from both clubs for making the derby match a safe and enjoyable environment . The disaster in 1958 saw 23 people die when Manchester United 's plane crashed in Munich . 'In a stadium packed with more than 75,000 people , to only make eight arrests for minor offences without any disorder is a fantastic achievement and again is testament to the behaviour of the fans in attendance . 'There was a minor skirmish on the forecourt as fans left the ground , but this was quickly dealt with by the officers on the ground who ensured there was no disorder and the game passed peacefully . 'As we said before the game , the later kick-off was mutually agreed by ourselves , both clubs and the Premier League which is a reflection of how well the fans have behaved during previous derbies . That spirit was evident again this Sunday . ' City say they are aware of the ejections and are liaising with United officials .
Small group of supporters ejected after supposedly mocking disaster . Eight people were arrested at Old Trafford in relation to Manchester derby . But police praised 'overwhelming majority ' of fans for their behaviour . Manchester United beat rivals City 4-2 on Sunday afternoon .