WATCH: Real Betis supporter caught taking his belt off to try and whip Man Utd fans during 4-1 defeat

Manchester United's 4-1 Europa League victory over Real Betis on Thursday evening was marred by ugly scenes of fan violence in the away section towards the end of the match.

Erik ten Hag's men bounced back in fine style from their 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool to record a comprehensive success over their La Liga opponents in the first-leg of their last-16 tie.

The fixture ended on an especially sour note for the visitors, as riot police had to get involved to stop Betis fans from assaulting United supporters as tensions rose at Old Trafford.

On the pitch, Betis handled themselves well in the first 45 minutes. Manuel Pellegrini's men went in level at the break after Leicester loanee Ayoze Perez cancelled out Marcus Rashford's well-taken opener for United.

However, things unravelled pretty quicky for Betis in the second period.

Antony found the net seven minutes into the second-half to put the Red Devils back in front, before Bruno Fernandes extended the lead just before the hour mark.

With eight minutes to go, Wout Weghorst grabbed his first goal at home as a United player to make it 4-1 and essentially end the tie as a contest before next week's second leg in Spain.

Per the Manchester Evening News, it was after Weghorst's strike that unrest really began to grow in the Betis section of the stadium.

Officers were called in as a group of enraged away fans attempted to climb over barriers to attack United supporters, with a number of missiles, including flares, also being thrown.

As you'll see in the footage below, one Betis fan even removed his own belt in order to try and whip home supporters on the opposite side of the barriers.

Video: Real Betis fan tries to whip Man Utd supporters with his belt during Europa League clash

Betis fan’s aren’t happy. UNITED!

Police now involved. pic.twitter.com/gZADsCnJf0

— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) March 9, 2023

Nice of you to step in after only 85 minutes of the Real Betis fans spitting and throwing shit at us @gmpolice @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/eoQWUguzNN

— jack stone (@stoney_29) March 9, 2023

 The authorities eventually managed to bring the disorder under control. However, BBC Sport confirmed on Friday afternoon that one police officer had been injured as a result of the trouble, while four visiting fans were arrested.

Chief inspector of Greater Manchester Police, Jamie Collins, condemned the violence, saying: "Last night's behaviour by the minority was totally unacceptable and quite shocking for the decent supporters who may have got caught up in this.

He went on to praise the "vast majority" of the 3,600 visiting fans who were "respectful and well behaved".

The two sides meet again at Benito Villamarin Stadium next Thursday evening, when there will hopefully be no repeat of such shambolic scenes.