Why was Arsenal v Nottingham Forest delayed?

Arsenal v Nottingham Forest was delayed by half an hour due to turnstile issues

Arsenal’s first game of the season on the Premier League’s opening weekend had kick-off delayed by half an hour due to turnstile issues.

Thousands of Arsenal and Nottingham Forestfans were left stuck outside the Emirates stadium.

Arsenal have introduced a new e-ticketing system for this season and that was reported to be the delay at the turnstiles.

At the time the match was due to start, 12.30 pm, broadcaster TNT reported there were around 35,000 fans still outside unable to access the stadium.

Arsenal’s Twitter read: “This afternoon’s game with Nottingham Forest will now kick off at 1pm (UK), due to a delay at the turnstiles.”

There were reports that at 12.45 pm there will still large numbers of fans outside the stadium, but by the 1 pm kick off the stadium appeared full and the issue resolved.

Arsenal would have been hoping to kick their Premier League campaign off smoothly, having pushed Manchester City close for the title last year.

Having bolstered their squad with high profile signings, including the addition of Declan Rice for a reported £105 million, Arteta and Arsenal will be looking to make their mark early, especially against a side who were battling against relegation for large periods of last season.