Several hundred Manchester United fans protested against the takeover by Malcolm Glazer as the US tycoon's three sons attended their first game. Joel, Avi and Bryan Glazer were at Old Trafford to watch United play Debrecen in their Champions League qualifier.
It was the first competitive game since Malcolm Glazer's �790m takeover of the club and about 700 supporters marched outside the ground to show their anger.
Old Trafford was far from full as other fans boycotted the game completely.
The official attendance was 51,701, well short of Old Trafford's 68,210 capacity.
The protesting fans were escorted by police as they sang "I hope Glazer dies" and scuffles broke out as they stopped outside the main entrance.
They entered the stadium around five minutes after kick-off.
"This boycott is symbolic - one game is not going to cripple the club financially," said Oliver Houston, a spokesman for Shareholders United.
"The fact they had only sold 40,000 tickets by Monday and are having to sell them on the gate is a significant blow," he added.
United chief executive David Gill downplayed the protests. "Yes, there is some dissent and clearly we understand the feelings but we feel it is a minority," said Gill.
"The majority of fans, quite rightly, are only interested in the team being successful and challenging for honours."
And after the match Chief Superintendent Andy Holt said: "The match passed off peacefully and we are extremely pleased with the support of the fans in ensuring the smooth running of the police operation.
"A protest involving an estimated 200-300 people was held outside the ground before kick-off and was policed accordingly.
"The protest lasted for approximately 50 minutes and no injuries were reported.
"Three arrests were made at the match, however these were unrelated to the protest."
MMIX
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The majority of fans, quite rightly, are only interested in the team being successful
Match of the Day - Post-match interviews