Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest
by Layth Yousif
at Ashburton Grove

ARSENAL beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 to kick-off their Premier League season with victory, in a match made notable by chaos outside the turnstiles prior to kick-off, following the club’s implementation of an unpopular new e-ticketing system.

First half goals from Eddie Nketiah and a stunning long-range strike from Bukayo Saka, were enough to seal victory on the opening weekend of the season, despite a late consolation from the visitors’ Taiwo Awoniyi.

Yet, it was the sight of more than 30,000 supporters massed outside the ground, due to “issues with the ticketing system,” that caused the turnstiles to shut before the match — forcing the authorities to delay the start by half an hour.

The Morning Star spoke to a match-day stadium support worker who provides help and assistance to stewards and fans, who confirmed that gates had been opened to allow fans into the ground without checking their tickets.

The move occurred in a bid to relieve the pressure on the turnstiles, as the chaos caused by the new e-ticketing system threatened to get worse ahead of the scheduled kick-off time.

“At no point were we requested or asked to check if fans had tickets, it was simply [a case of] ‘get everyone inside as fast and as safe[ly] as possible’,” the source said.

Numerous supporters also shared their experiences of the embarrassing failure, with many slamming the club for bringing in the new system, intended to stamp out ticket touting. However, fans also reported a number of touts still operating outside the confines of Ashburton Grove before the match.

The Arsenal Independent Supporters Association told this newspaper that they had asked the club about contingency plans for the new e-ticketing system back in May, but Arsenal’s “new system was presented as the only way forward.”

A spokesman for Arsenal told the Morning Star, in a statement also communicated to season ticket holders, that the club was sorry. “We apologise to supporters for the inconvenience and thank them for their patience and support.

“We would also like to thank our staff who worked hard to get everyone to their seats safely, in time for the revised kick-off.”

Once the 59,984 crowd had made it into the stadium for the delayed 1pm start, the home side dominated throughout, with Nketiah firing home on 26 minutes following excellent vision and technique from Gabi Martinelli.

That was prior to the world-class Saka unleashing a spectacular left-footed long-range strike from outside the box, that beat Forest’s new signing and former Arsenal keeper Matt Turner after the American had signed for the City Ground outfit earlier in the week.

A late goal by Forest’s Awoniyi threatened a share of the spoils for Steve Cooper’s side. The 82nd effort came following an excellent drive down the left flank by Anthony Elanga, the club’s new £15m signing from Manchester United, which ensured a nervy ending for the home side.

Mikel Arteta’s side held on, yet even the Gunners boss felt compelled to apologise to fans for the failure of the ticketing system, saying: “We apologise to all of them. We will look at it. Thank you to the refs and Forest to allow the kick off to be delayed and have the atmosphere that we did.”

The new system has been unpopular with many supporters, with many fan groups lobbying Arsenal to phase in the system while making allowances for those who may not be familiar with digital processes.

Arsenal added: “The issue will be investigated to ensure we do everything possible to ensure this doesn't happen again.”

*Arsenal confirmed to the Morning Star that a person was treated by St Ambulance workers after having a seizure. The episode was not connected to the crowds outside before the match.

**The Morning Star would like to thank everyone who took a copy of our newspaper's Football Fans Charter that was handed out before kick-off at Ashburton Grove on Saturday.