Two Italian men have been charged in connection with an alleged assault on a Liverpool fan before the team’s Champions League match with Roma, Merseyside police have said.

Sean Cox, a 53-year-old businessman from Dunboyne, Co Meath, suffered serious head injuries in an incident outside Anfield stadium on Tuesday.

Filippo Lombardi, 20, was charged with violent disorder and wounding, and Daniele Sciusco, 29, was charged with violent disorder. Both men were due to appear before magistrates in South Sefton on Thursday morning.

Police said Cox remained in critical condition at the Walton Centre, a neurological hospital in Liverpool.