Merseyside Police have insisted their actions against Leeds United supporters at Goodison Park last weekend were 'proportionate and necessary' after videos emerged online of fans being pepper-sprayed.
Members of Leeds United's away allocation were pictured covering their faces, visibly affected by pepper spray discharged by Merseyside Police in an attempt to detain an individual accused of assaulting a steward inside the ground.
The Police have since stated, as per the BBC: "At around 4.05pm at the start of the second half, it was reported a steward had been headbutted by a man in the away section on the Lower Bullens stand.
"Officers attended and while attempting to detain the male, other members of the crowd began to throw bottles at officers and two officers were punched to the face.
"One man, aged 44, from Skipton, was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and assaulting an officer. He was taken into custody to be interviewed and has been released under investigation.
"When police were assaulted, officers deployed PAVA [pepper] spray in order to bring the situation under control for the safety of fans near to the disturbance."
As quoted by the BBC, vice-chair of the Leeds United Supporters Trust [LUST], Graham Hyde disagreed with Merseyside Police's course of action: "We do not wish to see anyone hurt including fans, stewards and police, and would always prefer to see the handling of fans done in a diplomatic and non-inflammatory manner.
"We don't challenge there was over-reaction from fans and bottles thrown. We don't want to see that or anyone's safety endangered," Hyde said.
Merseyside Police stated officers made attempts to identify those affected by use of the spray in order to provide relief: "Efforts were made immediately after to identify anyone affected by the spray and provide them with aftercare and support."
"The use of PAVA [pepper spray] in this incident has been reviewed by our Professional Standards Department who are satisfied that its use was proportionate and necessary," they added.
The handling of Leeds United's away contingent by London's Metropolitan Police has already been scrutinised twice this season.
Trips to Chelsea's Stamford Bridge and West Ham United's London Stadium saw similar disturbances between fans and police.
The Leeds United Supporters' Trust were 'astonished' by the Metropolitan Police's claim that Leeds fans were to blame for a crush outside Stamford Bridge last December.
Meanwhile, last month pictures showed a Leeds United supporter being knocked to the ground following an altercation with a member of the Metropolitan Police inside the London Stadium.
