The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that four people have been arrested following disturbances at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening.

Arsenal's Europa League home encounter against FC Koln, originally scheduled to begin at 8.05pm, was delayed by an hour due to trouble outside the ground prior to kickoff.

Around 20,000 supporters of the German club are believed to have descended upon the Emirates for the match, despite the allocation being just under 3,000 tickets.

Inside the ground, images and footage appeared to show thousands of Koln fans in the home sections, with some barging through barriers as mounted police attempted to contain them.

A statement from the Met Police read: "Officers responded to reports of disorder at the Emirates Stadium earlier this evening where fans gathered for the Arsenal vs. FC Koln match.

"A policing plan is in place for the game and additional officers were deployed.

"Arrests at 2141hrs = four people have been arrested on suspicion of public order offences."

Confirmation of the match delay came through at just after 7pm.