Arsenal 'very disappointed' as Met Police force rescheduling of Chelsea clash

Arsenal’s Premier League match against Chelsea has been moved as a result of the Metropolitan Police revising its position on policing the match.

Arsenal are on the hunt for their first Premier League title in 19 years.

Despite squandering a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Liverpool at the weekend, Mikel Arteta's men have a six point advantage over Manchester City at the Premier League summit, albeit having played a game more than their nearest challengers.

The Gunners are just eight games away from the title, though must travel to the Etihad in the coming weeks, while they have a tricky game against Newcastle at St James Park in early May.

Another encounter that could prove difficult for Arteta's men is against Chelsea, should Frank Lampard improve the Blues' fortunes in the coming weeks.

And the game, that was initially taking place at the end of April has now been rescheduled, to the disappointment of Arsenal.

Arsenal vs Chelsea rescheduled

The league match was scheduled to take place on Saturday 29 April at 5.30pm but will now be played on Tuesday 2 May at 8.00pm.

Arsenal said they were “very disappointed” by the impact the fixture change will cause on their fans.

The club said: “After working to try to find a solution with the Met Police, we are very disappointed with the impact and disruption this fixture change will cause to our supporters, particularly after this match had been initially approved for a Saturday evening kick-off.”

In a statement, the Premier League explained: “The initial scheduling of this match was approved at a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting in February. However, the Metropolitan Police has now revised its position regarding the kick-off time and requested a further SAG meeting which determined the match had to be re-scheduled.

“We regret the need to move this fixture at late notice and the impact this will have on supporters. The game will remain live on Sky Sports.”