Chaos engulfed the Emirates Stadium on Thursday as Arsenal began their Europa League campaign amid crowd trouble.
In their first experience of Europe's second-tier competition, the Gunners kick-off was delayed by an hour as dozens of travelling supporters made their way inside the home section of the ground.
Once the game was finally underway...
James Olley was in attendance to assess the key talking points...
Arsenal face Uefa punishment
The sight of around 15,000 fans descending on Emirates Stadium was a nightmare for police and stadium security. Only 2,900 had tickets and enough of the remainder attempted to force their way into the ground, prompting an hour delay to kick-off amid crowd safety concerns.
Segregation was non-existent as thousands of Cologne supporters ended up in the home end with stewards and riot police doing their best to maintain order but the end result was a sight not witnessed inside a major English ground for many years.
In consultation with the clubs and Uefa, the Metropolitan Police decided allowing the game to go ahead was the best course of action given the alternative was attempting to remove such a huge number of disgruntled away fans at once. Cologne’s early goal prompted scuffles among rival fans sat together while two flares were set off before half-time.
Uefa will open an investigation tomorrow and Arsenal can expect a hefty fine, at least.
Ospina fluffs his chance to impress
Manager Arsene Wenger had to convince David Ospina to remain at the club for the second successive summer and did so with the promise of a genuine shot at dislodging Petr Cech as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper. He did himself few favours here, however.
Ospina came off his line in the 10th-minute to snuff out a Cologne attack but instead of clearing his lines, he only found Leonardo Bittencourt. Jhon Cordoba picked up the ball, turned and beat a backpedalling Ospina from 40 yards.
He was nervy thereafter with home fans audibly uneasy about his distribution at times and although he is set for a run in this competition. Cech’s starting berth in the Premier League looks safe for the time being.
Sanchez to the rescue
From boos against Bournemouth to cheers against Cologne. Sanchez received a mixed reception last weekend on his first appearance since a move to Manchester City collapsed on deadline day and for much of the first half he looked disillusioned, perhaps even uninspired by Europa League football.
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His inclusion in the starting line-up was something of a surprise but then again Wenger believes the 28-year-old is short of match fitness and in that regard this was a useful runout.
Moreover, he settled a contest in which Arsenal struggled for long periods with a sublime 67th-minute strike, cutting in from the left before bending a shot past Timo Horn.
Kolasinac enhances his reputation
The free summer signing from Schalke is fast becoming a cult hero at Arsenal and his 49th-minute equaliser will only accelerate the process.
Having looked ponderous in attack until that moment, there was something wonderfully simplistic about Kolasinac simply thumping a loose ball goalwards, unleashing a left-foot volley which had far too much power for Horn.
He provided better balance from the left wing-back position than Ainsley Maitland-Niles and, especially following Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s departure, the Bosnian has now established himself as the first-choice option.
Alexandre Lacazette’s big-money move attracted much of the focus but Kolasinac’s signing is increasingly looking like a very shrewd piece of business.
Wilshere finally returns
It was widely expected that Jack Wilshere would start given his desire for one last chance to prove himself at Arsenal but Wenger made him wait until the 68th minute to introduce him for his first appearance in 383 days.
Despite the limited time available, Wilshere showed flashes of quality, most notably with a delightful dummy in the build-up to Hector Bellerin’s third goal.
The Europa League should provide him with the gametime he requires in attempting to salvage his Gunners’ career and there was some promise here to build on.