Manchester United fans vent frustrations at owners as protests unfold in Champions League

The Red Devils welcomed the Serie A side to Old Trafford off the back of a nine-game winless run that has seen manager Michael Carrick in serious danger of the sack.The former midfielder has seen his team into 17th in the Premier League table, with just two victories all season. Supporters were handed green and gold balloons which were thrown into the sky from the Stretford End before kick-off in the latest display of protest against the Glazer family and more recently, INEOS. Protests: Tennis balls litter Old Trafford pitchGettyUnited’s plight was plunged into further depths as they fell 2-0 down inside 18 minutes to the in-form Italians, as Matias Soule opened the scoring with a neat finish after some slack defending, and Donyell Malen stroked home from the penalty spot after Ayden Heaven’s handball in the box. The first half was disrupted as tennis balls rained down onto the field from the Stretford End in a less-prepared protest than the balloons had been, but it was enough for players to the game to be stopped momentarily and for players to pick them up and place them to the side of the field. The home support booed loudly as their team trudged off at the interval, and chants rang around Old Trafford criticising the directors sat in the heavens, including director of football Jason Wilcox by name. The hosts were dealt a further blow after the break as Carlos Baleba, the summer signing from Brighton, was forced off with a hamstring problem in the opening seconds of the second period.