ARSENAL have vowed to ban five fans who interrupted last night’s Carling Cup clash with Wigan Athletic by running onto the pitch - despite some of the culprits being barely into their teens.

As the quarter final drew to a tame close in freezing conditions with the Gunners holding a comfortable 2-0, a number of fans decided to jump the barriers and join the action.

One man ran up to Arsene Wenger and was quickly accosted by stewards, but two teenagers then led stewards on a merry dance across the Emirates turf before Arsenal star Emmanuel Eboue stepped in to help lead them off the pitch.

Then moments after the final whistle blew, two more youngsters tried their luck as the Gunners stars thanked the fans for turning up in the bitterly cold snow.

This time the fed up stewards were in no mood to mess around and dived on the culprits and led them away, despite the cheers of supporters.

Despite their tender years, Arsenal have promised they will not be back at The Emirates in a hurry.

An Arsenal spokeswoman said: “Regardless of age it is a criminal offence to encroach on the pitch, and as a consequence we will be actively pursuing a banning order for those involved in last night’s pitch invasions.”