West Ham launch investigation after fans filmed fighting in stands in huge brawl during thrilling clash with Arsenal
A huge brawl erupted at the London Stadium during the first half of West Ham’s seven-goal thriller with rivals Arsenal. And that meant there wasn’t just drama on the pitch in Saturday’s fiery London derby that saw all goals scored in one half. Fans brawled in the stands at the London Stadium on Saturday nightThe Sun Tensions escalated in the stands with the Gunners 4-0 up in the opening period in the north London outfit’s eventual 5-2 win. Mikel Arteta‘s men appeared to be in cruise control after 36 minutes thanks to goals from Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. And a clip obtained from The Sun shows fans scrapping in the West Ham end. At first, fans could be seen involved in a heated argument, before a punch is thrown at an individual. The man then responds by rushing at the fan who swang for him, where he proceeded to knock him down. He was then held back by a number of men, as one person came up from behind to punch him twice on the back of the head. The fan who floored the other supporter was then dragged away by stewards. It happened just seconds before Aaron Wan-Bissaka pulled a goal back for the hosts. The Hammers would add another through Emerson Palmieri almost immediately after, before Saka made it 5-2 in first-half stoppage time. It remains unclear what sparked the fight, though there have been reports online that there were Arsenal fans in the home end. The incident was filmed when Arsenal were leading 4-0 in the first halfThe Sun https://twitter.com/TheSunFootball/status/1862933364459950588 However, that has not been confirmed, with a West Ham spokesperson stating anyone identified in the brawl will be slapped with a lifetime ban. Quoted by The Sun, they confirmed an investigation is ongoing, saying: “The club is aware of the incident and will be working to identify the offender(s). “In line with our zero-tolerance approach, anyone identified will have their details passed to the police and will be given an indefinite ban and therefore be unable to enter London Stadium and travel with the club. “There is no place for this kind of behaviour at our Stadium.” Arsenal’s victory over West Ham has lifted them into second spot – six points behind leaders Liverpool. The Reds face Manchester City at 4pm in a blockbuster clash at Anfield aiming to extend their lead up to nine points. As for West Ham, they remain in 14th spot, with Julen Lopetgui’s men now losing six of their 13 league matches. Lopetegui is coming under huge pressure after his poor start to life at the London Stadium, with many fans leaving at halftime on Saturday. After the game, he admitted that supporters are ‘always right’ when being asked about them heading home early. He said: “How can I not understand them? They are always right. We have to accept that decision. “I would have liked it if they were still there because maybe if we had scored a third goal we would have had the possibility to move closer to them [Arsenal].”
A huge brawl erupted at the London Stadium during the first half of West Ham’s seven-goal thriller with rivals Arsenal.
And that meant there wasn’t just drama on the pitch in Saturday’s fiery London derby that saw all goals scored in one half.
Tensions escalated in the stands with the Gunners 4-0 up in the opening period in the north London outfit’s eventual 5-2 win.
Mikel Arteta‘s men appeared to be in cruise control after 36 minutes thanks to goals from Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
And a clip obtained from The Sun shows fans scrapping in the West Ham end.
At first, fans could be seen involved in a heated argument, before a punch is thrown at an individual.
The man then responds by rushing at the fan who swang for him, where he proceeded to knock him down.
He was then held back by a number of men, as one person came up from behind to punch him twice on the back of the head.
The fan who floored the other supporter was then dragged away by stewards.
It happened just seconds before Aaron Wan-Bissaka pulled a goal back for the hosts.
The Hammers would add another through Emerson Palmieri almost immediately after, before Saka made it 5-2 in first-half stoppage time.
It remains unclear what sparked the fight, though there have been reports online that there were Arsenal fans in the home end.
However, that has not been confirmed, with a West Ham spokesperson stating anyone identified in the brawl will be slapped with a lifetime ban.
Quoted by The Sun, they confirmed an investigation is ongoing, saying: “The club is aware of the incident and will be working to identify the offender(s).
“In line with our zero-tolerance approach, anyone identified will have their details passed to the police and will be given an indefinite ban and therefore be unable to enter London Stadium and travel with the club.
“There is no place for this kind of behaviour at our Stadium.”
Arsenal’s victory over West Ham has lifted them into second spot – six points behind leaders Liverpool.
The Reds face Manchester City at 4pm in a blockbuster clash at Anfield aiming to extend their lead up to nine points.
As for West Ham, they remain in 14th spot, with Julen Lopetgui’s men now losing six of their 13 league matches.
Lopetegui is coming under huge pressure after his poor start to life at the London Stadium, with many fans leaving at halftime on Saturday.
After the game, he admitted that supporters are ‘always right’ when being asked about them heading home early.
He said: “How can I not understand them? They are always right. We have to accept that decision.
“I would have liked it if they were still there because maybe if we had scored a third goal we would have had the possibility to move closer to them [Arsenal].”
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