It was all a false alarm, thankfully.
But, for a few hours on Sunday afternoon, thousands of fans and dozens of footballers were confused as to what the hell was happening at Old Trafford.
We know now that the whole hoax bomb was an unforeseen error on behalf of a security company, but that message was not communicated to anybody until very late on Sunday evening.
Instead, everyone in and around the stadium was left to wonder who or why a suspicious package would be left at the stadium.
Both Bournemouth and Manchester United were almost ready to kick off their game when they were pulled back into the dressing-room and told the game was postponed just before 3pm on Sunday.
Naturally, everyone was very confused, and Juan Mata, writing in his blog on the Manchester United website, admits that players were shocked by the unexpected development.
‘What happened in Old Trafford this Sunday left all of us who were there absolutely shocked,’ Mata wrote.
‘You know, the game being postponed (we will finally play on Tuesday) after a suspect package – that we were told could be an explosive – was found in the stadium. Everybody in the security team did an effective job, resulting in a quick evacuation of the stadium.
‘It helped not to spread panic around, although all of us had a very odd feeling; something like strain mixed with a lack of understanding. The fans left the stadium before we did; I think we left Old Trafford at around five, with the feeling that everything was already under control.’
Manchester United will get to face Bournemouth on Tuesday night at 8pm, just days before Louis van Gaal’s side face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
Mata has huge sympathy for fans who were discommoded by yesterday’s bizarre events.
‘I feel sorry for all those people who had to go back home without watching the game, because that’s what they had come for,’Â the Spaniard added.
‘Obviously, safety is always the top priority. But what I’m really sorry about is that this kind of issues affect football, sports and society in general. Many of us think that sport has the capability to unite people, and we must keep believing that.”
Mata and a number of his teammates are likely to be rested for Tuesday night’s game, as investigations continue into Sunday’s events.
