Arsene Wenger has urged Arsenal fans to return to the Emirates Stadium to watch “quality football” after plenty stayed away for their win over West Brom, according to Talksports.
While official figures for tickets sold put the attendance at 59,563, in reality there were far fewer supporters inside the Emirates Stadium to watch Alexis Sanchez score twice in a comfortable 2-0 victory.
The result sees Arsenal move up to third and strengthen their position in the Barclays Premier League as they look to secure a 20th consecutive season of Champions League football.
But there were plenty of noticeable gaps in the crowd, with reports leading into the game suggesting as many as 2,500 season-ticket holders had returned their tickets due to disillusionment at another season where a title bid faded away.
There were also banners unveiled at full-time calling for an end to Wenger’s near-20 year reign, but the Frenchman said afterwards he wants the stay-away supporters to come back and get behind the side.
Asked for a message to the fans who opted against attending, Wenger replied: “To come and support the team. If you love football, you go out there and I think you see quality football.