Manchester Derby 'Spidercam' Criticised

Fans watching the Manchester derby on Thursday say the game was spoiled by a new camera called "spidercam".

People took to Twitter to complain that the device made it look like match had been filmed "in space".

Others were angry the game seemed to have too many replays which made it hard to follow.

Sky Sports has told Newsbeat that this wasn't the first time the spidercam has been used during Premier League matches.

Spidercam is a camera suspended above the pitch by four wires attached to each corner of the ground.

It's controlled by an operator who follows the action and can hang between 10 and 40 metres above the pitch.

People targeted the Sky Sports Twitter account under a tweet the company put out promoting the game.

Sky Sports told Newsbeat that spidercam has been used at three other games this season.

In the first Premier League game the camera was used in, it captured Liverpool's James Milner scoring a penalty against Manchester United.

Fans reacted positively to that angle but many people on Thursday night were left confused by its use at corners.

That wasn't the only criticism of the coverage.

Other fans were left frustrated by the number of replays and a strange noise that could be heard in the background.

It isn't just football where the camera is used.

It's split opinion among fans and players in other sports too. Sir Andy Murray, for example, definitely isn't a fan.

Murray did requested the umpire to get spidercam moved because it's in line with his ball toss.

Sky Sports has told Newsbeat that it won't be commenting on the social media outrage.

Spidercam has told us it "cannot provide a statement or comment on the spidercam usage" at the game.

Credit: BBC Sport