Arsenal Vow to Act After Fans Rip Down Hoardings During Tottenham Match

Arsenal have expressed "concern" after fans tore down hoardings at White Hart Lane in the wake of the Gunners’ 2-1 win over bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.

A brace from Mathieu Flamini helped Arsene Wenger’s side to a win, but a minority of the Arsenal fans inside the stadium took their celebrations a little too far.

Supporters at the front of the upper tier ripped advertising boards out of their brackets, with many pieces falling on to their fellow fans in the stand below.

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A spokesman for the Emirates Stadium club released the following statement, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail: “We are concerned that this happened, involving a minority of fans. We will work with Tottenham Hotspur and the authorities on this.”

Here’s a look at a snippet of what occurred, courtesy of 101 Great Goals:

Rob Harris of the Associated Press reported there were also minor confrontations between some of the Arsenal supporters and stewards inside the stadium:

It was a blemish on what was otherwise a brilliant evening for the Gunners. Although both teams rested players for this League Cup tie, it’s always a major boost getting a win at the home of your biggest rivals and for Flamini to bag a brace, it made the game extra special for those visiting fans in attendance.

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Arsenal manager Wenger paid tribute to his team and especially the Frenchman, who was making his first appearance of the season for the Gunners, after the match, per Mokbel:

"

He is a fighter, Mathieu, he is a winner as well. I told him at the start of the season that it might be difficult maybe to be a starter but he decided to stay and fight.

Overall, we responded well mentally and physically. It was a convincing performance. We were unlucky to score an own goal and after we found the resources to score a second.

"

Ian Walton/Getty Images

As noted by gunnerblog, it was a virtuoso display which is likely to cement Flamini’s status as a cult hero with the Gunners:

To celebrate such an important, memorable win by pulling the away end to pieces seems peculiar, however.

Tensions do run high when these two local rivals meet and games under floodlights always seem to stir extra emotions. But there’s no excuse for this kind of behaviour, which could have easily injured other supporters in the stadium.

Ultimately, the acts of this minority have attracted unwanted negativity to Arsenal on a night when the club should have been receiving effusive praise.