Silence observed at Old Trafford

The minute's silence for the 23 people who died in the Munich air crash of 1958 was movingly observed at Old Trafford before the Manchester derby.

The United and City teams, wearing one-off retro kits, were accompanied by 23 mascots wearing shirts with the names of the air crash victims on the back. All were led out of the tunnel by a piper playing The Red Flag.

The home faithful joined in with an emotional rendition of the song and while the away supporters responded initially with their own terrace anthem Blue Moon, they were respectfully silent at the crucial moment.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven-Goran Eriksson placed floral tributes on the centre spot, before joining the whole stadium in a minute's silence. United and City supporters held aloft old-fashioned scarves as a hush fell over Old Trafford.

As stadium announcer Alan Keegan pointed out, both sets of fans had done the city of Manchester proud in paying tribute to a football team cut down ahead of their prime.