Mayhem, chaos..but victory too

RARELY has a goal in the Emirates been celebrated with so much noise and emotion. Half the stadium were on their feet and flares were set off in riotous celebration. What an atmosphere. The only problem for Arsenal was they had not scored and it was not their fans getting excited. The pandemonium outside the Emirates Stadium had spread to the pitch after only 10 minutes, as David Ospina charged into an area where he was not supposed to go. Jhon Cordoba’s finish from 40 yards was worthy of Cologne’s first goal in European football for 9,130 days. Attempts by Gunners fans to shush the noise in The Library were drowned out by the cacophony in a corner of North London turned into North Rhine-westphalia for the evening. Certainly during the game – with police and dogs fencing in the Germans – the earlier problems appeared contained. But outside earlier it was different. The German fans had congregated in Central London during the day before heading up the Holloway Road. Gunners fan and ITV’S political editor, Robert Peston tweeted: “These Cologne fans are a disgrace. Nazi salutes. Peeing in doorsteps. My European solidarity being tested.” The police and clubs had a choice: cancel the game and have 60,000 angry fans or carry on with a total lack of segregation. No contest. The show had to go on. And the cheers were the Gunners’ when Sead Kolasinac, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin secured victory.