FC Köln fans managed to sneak into the Emirates by asking stewards if they’d seen “zat ludicrous display last night”, according to eyewitness reports.

Chaos ensued as twenty thousand German supporters descended upon Arsenal’s stadium, despite the Bundesliga side only having an allocation of three thousand.

Many managed to get into the home end posing as Arsenal fans, some donning red jerseys and others even signing up for club membership.

It now transpires that others managed to blag it by taking their lead from an episode of popular British sitcom The IT Crowd.

One onlooker said: “One bloke came up dressed in full lederhosen and said to the steward at the gate, ‘Ze problem viz ze Arsenal is zat zey try to walk ze ball into ze net.

“He was let in without a moment’s hesitation.”

One steward, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “They kept asking me if I’d seen that ludicrous display last night, so I kept letting them in.

“It just seemed so convincing. It wasn’t until much later it dawned on me that Arsenal hadn’t even played the night before.

“The power of suggestion, I guess.”