Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium had been rearranged due to policing concerns.
The Gunners were due to take on Frank Lampard’s side on Saturday, April 29 at 5:30pm BST, with Manchester City then in action on the following day as they travel to Fulham.
However, Arsenal will now not play on that weekend, and instead will face Chelsea on Tuesday, May 2 at 8pm.
It means Mikel Arteta’s side, who face City at the Etihad on April 26, will now have a few days extra rest before they take on the Blues, and then travel to St James’ Park to play Newcastle on May 7.
Chelsea are in action the same night Arsenal take on City, hosting Brentford, and so neither side will be particularly unhappy from a sporting perspective that the fixture has been moved back.
However, Arsenal voiced their frustration over the impact on supporters, after the kick-off time had already been adjusted to fit in with the broadcast schedule.
“This change has been made as a result of the Metropolitan Police revising its position on policing the match,” an Arsenal statement said on their official website.
“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.”
A Premier League statement said: “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.”
