GUNNERS GRIND OUT GUTSY WIN

ALEXIS SANCHEZ came to Arsenal’s rescue on the Emirates pitch on a night of chaos off it. The unsettled Chilean striker made his class tell in the 67th minute with the score tied at 1-1 in this delayed Europa League clash. Cutting inside from the left, he curled an unstoppable shot past Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn. Hector Bellerin put the result beyond doubt eight minutes from the end. Sead Kolasinac’s low cross was dummied by Jack Wilshere into the path of Theo Walcott, whose shot was saved by Horn before Bellerin swept home. It was no less than Arsene Wenger’s men deserved following Kolasinac’s equaliser at the start of the second half just a few minutes after emerging as a substitute. Walcott’s cross into the box was deflected but Kolasnic volleyed the ball home. When the match kicked off an hour late, riot police with their backs to the game must have been hoping for a solid Arsenal performance to sedate the German fans. Unfortunately for them, Wenger’s men fell behind within 10 minutes. Home keeper David Ospina triggered the mayhem when he came wandering out of his goal in a doomed attempt to tidy up an early attack. His mis-hit clearance landed and was nudged to Jhon Cordoba who assessed his options, swivelled and fired the bouncing ball over the head of his fellow Colombian. The Emirates Stadium erupted and the full penetration of Cologne support became abundantly clear. There were hundreds of them in the top tier of the Clock End and pockets all around the ground, including some corporate seats. Skirmishes broke out as Arsenal supporters took offence as they celebrated and called for away fans to be ejected by stewards. In a section where the official away fans were deployed, they bounced and sang and lit flares as UEFA delegate Roland Tis of Belgium sharpened his pencil. It promises to be an interesting report and one which doesn’t bode well for Arsenal as they are responsible for home tickets and the safety of those in the ground.