Man Utd and Arsenal pay tributes to Queen with minutes' silences after her death

Arsenal and FC Zurich paid a moving tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at half-time of their Europa League match on Thursday, just moments after Her Majesty's death was announced.

The sad news came on a day when the Queen's family, including son and heir Charles, rushed to her home in Balmoral to be by her bedside, and was confirmed in a statement from Buckingham Palace which read: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

The announcement came during the break in play at Zurich's stadium, Stadion Letzigrund, where the sides were drawing 1-1 after the first 45 minutes. Despite the sudden news, Zurich arranged for an image of the Queen smiling to be portrayed on the big screen while both sets of players gathered round the centre circle for a minutes' silence.

Fans inside the stadium looked solemn as they began to mourn Her Majesty's passing at the age of 96 and following 70 years of service to the British Monarchy. Arsenal eventually went on to win the match 2-1 and had also issued a message on social media in tribute, which read: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.

"Along with many of our supporters today, we will be taking time to mourn and reflect on Her Majesty's incredible life and devoted service."

A post on Arsenal's website added: "Her Majesty gave remarkable service over eight decades to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and we join together with so many around the world in mourning her passing and wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family."

Manchester United's match against Real Sociedad looked in doubt as to whether it would go ahead, but UEFA reportedly made the decision it was too late to call the game off with some fans already inside the stadium. Both sets of fans observed an impeccable minutes' silence before kick-off at Old Trafford while players donned black armbands.

Elsewhere, sport had already begun to shut down in response to the Queen's death as the nation goes into mourning. Friday's play in the Test Match between England's cricket team and South Africa's was postponed.

Golf and The Queen's favourite sport of horse racing were all suspended as soon as her death was announced by Buckingham Palace. Play was suspended at the BWM PGA Championship at Wentworth, while racing at Southwell and Chelmsford was called off when the news broke.

Football will be guided by the Government with a decision to be made on Premier League and EFL fixtures scheduled for this weekend. No sporting action will happen on the day of The Queen's funeral and it is understood football bosses have been told to gauge the 'mood of a nation' when deciding what to do during this period of official mourning.