Arsenal have issued a club statement to try and clarify events on Thursday night which saw kick-off delayed by an hour and FC Koln fans invade all sections of the Emirates.

Despite only receiving an allocation of 2,900 tickets, some 20,000 German fans are estimated to have travelled to London. Some had managed to secure tickets in the home end while others were spotted purchasing tickets from home fans who decided to give up and just go home.

“We worked in full consultation with police and UEFA officials on the night and in advance of the game and had taken extensive steps in advance to prevent tickets being sold to visiting supporters,” Arsenal said in their statement after they came under fire from all corners for failing to control the situation better.

“This included a number of measures including ensuring no tickets were sold via general sale and that no red memberships purchased after the draw were able to be used to get tickets in the home end for this match. We also worked with our colleagues at Cologne to stop supporters travelling without match tickets.

“The 3,000 tickets issued to Cologne fans was in line with competition rules but it is clear many more visiting fans arrived, causing significant congestion and disturbance outside the stadium before kick-off. Many tickets were sold through touts and this is very disappointing.

“We have launched a full review into the circumstances surrounding the game and will ensure any lessons that can be learned are used in the future.”

Arsenal are expected to receive a hefty fan from UEFA who were reportedly insistent that the game go ahead despite the fact that the crowd was in no way properly segregated. There were reports of fights in the crowd after Koln opened the scoring.

Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, called for an inquiry into how so many German fans were able to get into the home section of the ground