Two fans charged by police after pitch invasion that followed Man City’s dramatic Premier League title win

Two men have been arrested and charged after the pitch invasion that followed Manchester City’s title-clinching 3-2 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.

Thousands of City supporters poured onto the pitch after the final whistle at the Etihad Stadium as Pep Guardiola’s side successfully pipped rivals Liverpool to their fourth Premier League title in five years by a single point with a dramatic late comeback.

Greater Manchester Police have now confirmed that two fans have been arrested and charged following those post-match scenes and bailed ahead of court appearances.

Police said in a statement on Monday morning that Phillip Maxwell, 28, has been charged with throwing a missile (pyrotechnic) onto the pitch and will appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court on May 23.

Meanwhile, Paul Colbridge, 37, has been charged with going onto the pitch and will appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court on June 7.

Police also confirmed that enquiries into claims that Villa goalkeeper Robin OIsen was assaulted by fans during the pitch invasion are ongoing, with officers working in partnership with both clubs.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard revealed after the full-time whistle that the Swedish international, on loan from Roma and making his Premier League debut on Sunday, had been “attacked”, with City later issuing a statement to apologise and vowing to hand an indefinite stadium ban to those responsible after launching their own immediate investigation.

“Manchester City would like to sincerely apologise to Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who was assaulted after the final whistle at today’s match when fans entered the pitch,” City said.

“The club has launched an immediate investigation and once identified, the individual responsible will be issued with an indefinite stadium ban.”

Writing on Instagram on Sunday night, Olsen said: “Those idiots who attacked me will not destroy my emotions of today’s game. I got the opportunity to make my debut for this fantastic club, and we were really close to getting a good result against a tough opponent.”

In their own statement, Villa said that Olsen had received a “bang on the back of the head” but is “completely fine”.

The alleged assault on Olsen - which is also being investigated by the Football Association (FA) - is the latest worrying incident to have occurred during post-match pitch invasions by football fans over recent weeks.

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira was involved in an altercation with an Everton fan following his side’s match at Goodison Park last week, subsequently warning that pitch invasions were a “big issue on the FA and Premier League’s plate to deal with”.

A fan was also jailed for 24 weeks after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm after running onto the pitch and headbutting Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp after Nottingham Forest‘s penalty shootout win in the Championship play-off semi-final second-leg win at the City Ground.

There were also incidents during the League Two play-off contests between Swindon and Port Vale and Mansfield and Northampton respectively.