Before tonight’s game even kicked-off against West Brom, Arsenal had serious concerns about how many fans would turn up.
The club was reportedly worried that supporters would refuse to show after a slump of form saw the Gunners fall out of the title race, with pressure mounting on Arsene Wenger.
And it seems that the concerns were well-founded, with the ground no-where near full at the half-hour mark.
The Independent even reported that the club were expecting their lowest ever attendance for a Premier League fixture, with many season ticket holders choosing to stay at home and watch the game on Sky Sports.
Approximately 2,500 tickets were offered to club members while a few hundred more were placed on general sale but, due to a lack of interest, many have remained unsold.
And it didn’t long for Twitter to stick the boot in, with comparisons made to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, which has earned a reputation for rarely reaching full capacity:
Can't wait for the Emirates announcer to confirm that the attendance is 60,004 Hahahaha
— Naż (@NabardWaissi) April 21, 2016
Arsenals lowest attendance at Emirates still higher than Manchester City's highest ??
— Yeswell (@JordanCresswel1) April 21, 2016
Electric atmosphere in a jam packed Emirates this evening…. pic.twitter.com/3iYVoPpuQm
— Oddschecker (@Oddschecker) April 21, 2016
Looks like the Manchester born craze of fans dressing up as empty seats has hit the Emirates tonight. pic.twitter.com/JqIB3TFVga
— Rob Murphy (@MCMProds) April 21, 2016
Very quiet and flat atmosphere again at The Emirates tonight
— Ian Abrahams (Moose) (@BroadcastMoose) April 21, 2016
Game on at the Emirates, the library is looking mighty empty. Will West Brom sneak a result?
— KICK (@KICK) April 21, 2016
The Emirates Stadium is half empty.
Arsène, it's over. You've lost the fans.
#afc— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) April 21, 2016
Emirates. Not exactly packed. pic.twitter.com/fcW0uAWjU6
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) April 21, 2016
Photos: Lots of empty seats around the Emirates Stadium for tonight's game. #afc pic.twitter.com/4DJHtiNzAI
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) April 21, 2016
Did you hear that? A Red Admiral butterfly landed on the centre-circle at the Emirates and walked the width of the pitch. It was deafening
— Uncle Norman Giller (@NormanGiller) April 21, 2016
You can hear lonely, isolated cries from a man and his dog at the Emirates#ARSWBA
— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) April 21, 2016
You can almost sense the excitement inside the Emirates from here. pic.twitter.com/ySCWLFrXX4
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) April 21, 2016
The Emirates Stadium has got to be the quietest ground in the Premier League!!
— Morgan Griffiths (@Morgangriff29) April 21, 2016
So many empty seats at the Emirates. Shocking atmosphere. Are Arsenal fans proud to support their team? #embarrassing
— Dan Barrett (@dvjb1974) April 21, 2016
A superb turn and finish from Alexis Sanchez gave Arsenal a 1-0 lead after five minutes.
And the Chile international doubled his tally on 38 minutes with a clever free-kick routine that left West Brom keeper Ben Foster scratching his head.
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