Police arrest six and march West Ham fans to station to avoid violence after bitter draw with Millwall in football's nastiest rivalry

Police have arrested six people at the long-awaited derby between Millwall and West Ham, following a bitter 2-2 draw in their first clash in 14 years.

The Hammers - captained by Dani Dyer's footballer husband Jarrod Bowen - escaped hostile ground with a share of the points after hauling back a two-goal deficit after a sorry first-half performance.

But all eyes were on the antics away from the pitch, with the visiting team receiving a volatile reception as their bus arrived before kick off.

The Docker Derby is widely regarded as one of the nastiest rivalries in English football and the Met Police have acted accordingly to ensure the match passes off safely, with approximately 400 officers on duty for the game.

After the final whistle, the London foes poured out of The Den and onto the surrounding streets, with pictures showing mounted riot officers with batons raised struggling to keep the groups apart.

They screamed at agitated fans to stay back and a scuffle broke out as officers grabbed one fan from the crowd.

Officers formed a ring of steel around London Bridge station and other routes out of The Den, with a Daily Mail reporter witnessing at least one man being detained and put in the back of a police van.

But the rival fans were largely frogmarched to local stations without incident to begin their journeys home, as police enforced strict order to avoid violence.

Football fans confront police officers outside The Den in south-east London following the conclusion of the Dockers Derby

Police officers work to keep Millwall and West Ham fans separated after today's game

A man is arrested outside The Den after scuffles broke out with police officers

A man wearing a Millwall shirt is held by two police officers after scuffles between fans and police

Police officers raise their batons as they face off with fans following the Dockers Derby at The Den today

A mounted officer shots towards fans, some of whom were wearing balaclavas, outside the stadium in south-east London

Officers speak with a football fan after the controversial match came to an end

Rival fans hurl abuse at one another as the atmosphere intensified before kick off

A Millwall fan is held back by a steward while pointing at a West Ham supporter on Saturday

Millwall fans shout and point at West Ham's players during the warm up ahead of kick off

West Ham fans taunt Millwall fans from the platform at South Bermondsey train station as the two groups made their way home

A man is detained by police at London Bridge station as fans began making their way back home on Saturday

The Met Police issued a statement at 4pm on Saturday confirming six people have so far been arrested for offences including assaulting an officer, tailgating, and entering or attempting to enter a stadium whilst intoxicated.

Eleven men were also arrested at around 7.15pm on Friday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage at around 19:15hrs on Friday, 18 September.

The group, believed to be Millwall fans, were arrested in the vicinity of a known West Ham supporters' pub in Stratford, E15. They remain in custody.

In the build-up to kick off, Millwall fans set the tone by booing and shouting at the Hammers as they arrived at The Den.

One fan could be heard yelling: 'You f***ing n**heads' as the team bus pulled in. Others shouted 'f*** off' and directed x-rated hand gestures at the coach. Inside the ground, fans of both teams hurled abuse at one another.

The match itself also had its fair share of controversy. The Hammers were widely expected to win amid a slew of bad results for Millwall, who currently have 14 players ruled out due to injuries.

Millwall dominated the opening half and established a two-goal lead through Caleb Taylor and Camiel Neghli, both benefiting from long throws that exposed West Ham's defence.

The Hammers, who arrived on a four-match winning streak and as the Championship's top scorers, were transformed after the break.

Substitute Mohamadou Kante pulled back a goal with a long-range strike before Konstantinos Mavropanos headed in Manor Solomon's cross to complete the comeback.

The visitors' momentum was checked when Kante was sent off late on for hauling down Kyrell Lisbie as the Millwall forward raced clear on goal, leaving West Ham to hold on with 10 men through a tense finish.

Millwall pushed for a winner but could not find a way through as the first renewal of the rivalry since 2012 ended in a draw.

A row also erupted during the match after Millwall keeper Filip Marschall appeared to suggest he had been spat at by Hammers forward Taty Castellanos.

It was sparked when Marschall held onto the ball longer than the six-second allocation in the 65th minute, when Millwall were still 2-0 up.

Castellanos ran at the keeper in a bid to close him, resulting in a melee in the penalty area.

Marschall was then seen pointing at his shirt, gesturing as if he had been spat on. Millwall have since lodged a complaint with officials, it is understood.

There was a large police presence inside The Den to help ensure the match passes safely

West Ham players received a hostile welcome from Millwall supporters on Saturday morning

A Millwall fan aims an x-rated hand gesture at West Ham's bus as it arrived at The Den

Mounted police officers and riot officers guard exits to The Den as they prepared to shepherd fans away from the stadium

The Met Police put out a map on social media where a Section 60 order is in place, allowing enhanced stop and search powers

Lions boss Alex Neil reaffirmed the spitting allegation, saying: 'I'm so far away so it's hard for me to see what happened.

'I wouldn't presume Fil would say that without cause, if you like, so I don't know.

'I'm sure the referees and the authorities, whoever, will look at it and if it warrants that it needs dealt with, I'm sure they will.'

But the end result kept West Ham at the top of the Championship table while Millwall are still searching for a first win over West Ham in 22 years.

At London Bridge station after the match, police detained and took away a man in his 20s after four officers questioned and handcuffed him.

He was taken to a waiting police van outside.

Hundreds of West Ham fans were flanked by dozens of riot police through the station to separate them from Millwall supporters.

A group of Millwall fans were heard chanting 'Bobby Moore's dead' at London Bridge.

Moore, who captained both England and West Ham, died in 1993 after a battle with cancer.

The shocking chant comes as police announced they had made six arrests across the day for offences including tailgating, assaulting a police officer, and attempting to enter the ground while intoxicated.

A Section 60 order is in place in a large area of the city around the stadium, which gives police enhanced stop and search powers.

A Section 35 dispersal order also remains in place until 11.59pm, allowing officers to remove anyone causing disorder.

On Friday night, police cracked down on an organised fight at The Carpenters Pub in Stratford - with Millwall fans filmed being apprehended by officers.

It is the first time in 14 years that the two sides have met, and Hammers boss Santo urged fans to refrain from violence ahead of kick off.

He said: 'What we want most is that everything goes well, both fans supporting their teams and no conflict. We have people inside the club who are taking care of that. We have to focus on our tasks.'

The rivalry originated in the late 19th century between competing dockworkers and exploded in the second half of the 20th century with the rise of football hooliganism.

The Millwall Bushwackers and West Ham's Inner City Firm were two of the most notorious football firms in England. A Millwall fan died in 1976, while a West Ham supporter was murdered in 1986 as a result of fan disorder.

The Upton Park riot of 2009 was another dark day for English football. The Carling Cup contest between West Ham and Millwall was interrupted by three pitch invasions, while a Millwall fan was stabbed outside the ground.

Following that contest, West Ham were fined £115,000 after being found guilty of 'violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour' and of 'failing to prevent fans entering the field of play'. Millwall were cleared of all charges.