TWO police officers were placed on restricted duties, amid allegations they were involved in a pre-match punch up on Derby day.

The two Everton fans, one of whom is believed to be from the anti-gun Matrix unit, were off duty when violence flared outside the King Harry pub before the game on January 16.

The attack, which resulted in a man’s jaw being broken, happened at the junction of Anfield Road and Blessington Road.

Witnesses described a gang of hoodies flooding down Anfield Road and attacking a victim out of the blue.

The attack then turned into a brawl between two groups.

Two men, a 34-year-old from Anfield and a 36-year-old from Croxteth, have been arrested and bailed pending further investigation.

Neither of them is a police officer.

In the wake of the fighting, fans criticised police for only having two Police Community Support Officers on Anfield Road at the time of the incident.

In a separate incident, a man was slashed across the throat with a bottle on Walton Breck Road three hours later.

A police spokesman said: “This is an ongoing investigation, and so it would be inappropriate to comment further.”