In normal times a dead-rubber Europa League clash against Rapid Vienna on a cold evening in the build-up to Christmas would be a tough sell even to Arsenal diehards but Thursday’s tie is perhaps the most eagerly-awaited of the season.That is because, for the first time since March 7, fans will be allowed inside the Emirates stadium, even if it’s only 2,000 of them.

With England emerging from national lockdown and London placed in the government’s Tier 2 level of COVID-19 restrictions, Arsenal’s match against Rapid will be the first involving any Premier League team to have fans present for a competitive fixture since the pandemic took hold.

Mikel Arteta’s team are already qualified from Group B so the result is academic, but it will be a landmark night for the club’s fans who, like those all over the country, have had to make do with cheering on their teams from the sofa.

“Football is a community, for many it’s their family. I know many people out there who are suffering.”

There were 350 stewards working at the game, compared to around 50 for ‘behind closed doors’ games and 900 normally.

“But 2,000 is not sustainable. I read that they will be making a loss of around half a million pounds.

English clubs had hoped fans would have been allowed to return in limited numbers in October, but with infections rising again the government pressed the pause button.

With much of England in stricter Tier 3 restrictions, including Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the North East, many top-flight clubs are not allowed to welcome fans back yet.

Arsenal’s fans had waited nine long months to return to the club’s north London stadium but the 2,000 people sprinkled across the red seats had to wait only nine minutes to enjoy the thrill of celebrating a goal in the flesh on Thursday.

Appropriately, it was Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette who struck the opener in a 4-1 victory against Rapid Vienna — the same player who 272 days earlier had scored the winner against West Ham United, days before the COVID-19 pandemic swept in.

After a three-month hiatus, English soccer cranked back into action in June, but the country’s gleaming Premier League stadiums have since been eerily silent and sad places on match days — stripped of atmosphere.

With the capital placed in the government’s Tier Two restrictions following the end of national lockdown, Arsenal were the first top-flight club to have the opportunity to open the turnstiles to a limited number of fans.

Normally a dead-rubber Europa League group game against such modest opposition, with Christmas looming, might have been an excuse for a night on the sofa or the local shopping centre.

But it felt like a momentous occasion for the lucky few with tickets on a cold and damp north London night.

Once inside and socially-distanced in neat lines, most wearing face coverings, it felt like business as usual.

Much-loved mascot Gunnersaurus, threatened with extinction a few months ago because of cost savings, plodded around the touchline and it did not take long for the fans to get their lungs working with a rendition of “We Hate Tottenham”.

Arsenal’s players applauded the fans before kickoff and when Lacazette smashed home his side’s opening goal the whole team joined him on the touchline to milk the applause.

It was music to their ears.

Further goals by Pablo Mari and Eddie Nketiah raised the decibel levels again. Koya Kitagawa pulled one back for Vienna just after the break but there was no recriminations.

Instead the fans were on their feet again when Emile Smith Rowe rounded off a comfortable Arsenal win.