Police chiefs in Northern Ireland denied tonight they could have done more to prevent the rioting that erupted in north Belfast.
Extra officers had been brought into the area in anticipation of violence after yesterday's Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic.
But Superintendent Mr David Boultwood insisted: "No matter how many police officers we had here last night it would have been very difficult to contain the large scale and widespread violence."
Detectives confirmed they have identified 15 people involved in the angry clashes between nationalist and loyalist mobs throughout north Belfast.
A total of 28 officers and ten civilians were injured when hundreds of people took the streets after the "Old Firm" derby.
Police estimate that at one point more than 800 people were involved in the disturbances in flashpoint areas.
Around 40 plastic baton rounds were fired as the security forces fought to keep control.
Mr Boultwood described the rioting at Ardoyne shopfronts as savage, adding that his officers came under a massive and sustained attack.
Two officers were seriously injured during last night's trouble.
One was being treated for a suspected fractured skull, while the other suffered spinal injuries.
North Belfast MP Mr Nigel Dodds, who met senior police officers today, said there were concerns that police had not read the early warning signs that trouble was about to flare.
"I think that is one of the issues that has got to be looked at and that's why we are looking for increased security in these areas to prevent trouble," he added.
It is believed that the security force came under fire in the flashpoint Ardoyne area with evidence of strike marks on two police vehicles.
A Protestant man sustained a gunshot wound to his leg after clashes in the nearby North Queen Street area.
At one point, rival crowds engaged in hand-to-hand fighting on the Crumlin Road. As the security forces moved in, both sides threw petrol bombs and fireworks.
Sinn Féin claimed a young boy was knocked down by a Landrover during the trouble in North Queen Street.
Rioting also occurred in the Whitewell, Duncairn Gardens and Cavehill areas of north Belfast. Unionist politicians claim nationalists started the violence because Celtic lost against their bitter rivals but Sinn Féin countered that it had been orchestrated by the Ulster Defence Association.
Sinn Féin councillor Ms Margaret McClenaghan said the trouble at Ardoyne began when a loyalist mob from nearby Twadell Avenue threw bricks and bottles at nationalists.
"There has to be something done. Somebody is going to end up being killed up here or somewhere else," she warned.
PA