Manchester United fans staged a pre-match protest at the Manchester derby, voicing fury over the club's owners amid a contentious season ticket crackdown. Earlier in the week, The 1958 fan group called a protest about the so-called "season ticket ban fiasco", urging fans to "stand united". Anti-Glazer songs and chants about co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe filled the air outside the Bishops Blaize pub near Old Trafford. The protest continued into the Munich tunnel, where "We want Glazers out" was bellowed outside the directors' entrance.

Manchester United confirmed removing 685 season tickets as part of a heavy-handed summer crackdown on ticket touting. The club claimed the action disrupted organised ticketing networks, but fans remain angry. The Red Army supporters' group confirmed there will be no flag display against Manchester City following the investigation. When players emerged, a banner reading "the way you treat us is a disgrace" was unfurled.

The club last month said an independent company uncovered significant and organised touting after reviewing account activity between March and June. United acknowledged the ticketing investigation caused significant distress and conceded they underestimated how common sharing account usernames and passwords was, recognising some fans may have felt treated unfairly.