Manchester United fans’ day went from bad to worse as Old Trafford turned into the “Theatre of Streams” with rivers of rain gushing down the terraces after their defeat by Arsenal.
The fallen Premier League giants lost a record ninth home game of the season on Sunday as Erik ten Hag’s struggling side lost 1-0 to the title-chasing Gunners.
The result, brought about by Leandro Trossard’s first half goal after some calamitous defending by Casemiro, leaves United slumped in eighth after a dismal campaign – and a thunderstorm late in the game only made things look even more bleak.
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Fans have long complained about the state of Old Trafford, which has fallen into disrepair under the ownership of the Glazers family.
The 114-year-old stadium has developed its own waterfall thanks to its leaky roof, with fans regularly at risk of a soaking and slamming its facilities as an “embarrassment”.
Warning, video contains foul language
New part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has admitted Old Trafford is “run down and neglected”, has vowed to address the situation this summer, with United officials and their building partners having held talks with the railway company that operates the rail track behind the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, which has been affected by roof problems for several seasons.
But for now the 76,000-capacity stadium remains as leaky as United’s defence – something that was pointed out by depressed supporters who sang “we want Glazers out” as the heavens opened at the end of the game against Arsenal, exposing the gaping flaws in the ground and allowing a huge amount of water to bucket down on seats next to the pitch.
Despondent United fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share videos and pictures of the shambolic scenes at Old Trafford, with glum supporters all making the same comparison. “When the ground starts acting like our defence,” said one supporter, posted alongside a clip showing water cascading down the terraces.
In the footage, fans could be seen taking shelter by standing on seats and sitting on fencing, as the rain poured through the roof and gushed down windows. “Oh my f***ing word,” a fan could be heard exclaiming over the video. “Look at the state of this, it’s a f***ing river!”
(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)
“Leaky defence, leaky drain pipes,” posted one disillusioned fan, alongside another video of a torrent of rain falling on seating in the stadium. Meanwhile the Sky Sports Premier League account also posted a video of “The Old Trafford waterfall”.
“Pretty apt metaphor for the current state of the club,” sighed one disappointed Red Devils fan. Another said: “This is so embarrassing.” While a third begged: “Build a new stadium man.”
Rival supporters also joined in to heap further misery on United, whose hopes of qualifying for Europe now look set to depend on whether they can defeat table toppers and local rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
“The Old Trafford roof as leaky as the Manchester United defence,” one supporter posted, while another joked “Theatre of Streams…” – poking fun at the ground’s historic nickname, The Theatre of Dreams.