BRIGHTON, England — Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hürzeler has delivered a sharp criticism of Arsenal’s time-wasting strategies, urging the Premier League to take action as the Gunners “operate by their own standards.”
Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute deflected goal secured a 1-0 victory at American Express Stadium, extending Arsenal’s lead to seven points at the top of the Premier League.
The match was marked by tension, with Hürzeler and Mikel Arteta exchanging remarks on the sidelines as Brighton became increasingly frustrated with what they viewed as ongoing efforts to delay the game in both halves.
Prior to the match, Hürzeler had indicated that the Gunners were “innovative” in the duration they took to resume play from corners, but he expressed even greater dissatisfaction afterwards as his irritation escalated.
The 33-year-old even claimed that referee Chris Kavanagh informed him at halftime that he was unable to adequately penalize Arsenal for their time-wasting.
“There are various ways to achieve victory,” he stated. “If they clinch the Premier League title, no one will inquire about the manner of their victory.
“You can genuinely sense that they do everything possible to secure this win. Ultimately, it revolves around the regulations. If the Premier League and the referee permit everything, then it becomes challenging.
“They create their own regulations. Currently, I feel they are operating under their own rules, regardless of their style of play. That complicates the assessment.
“Do you want to send off the goalkeeper for two yellow cards due to time-wasting? That will never occur. So what is he supposed to do? That is the issue, and that is why we require regulations and boundaries.
“That is also what he [Kavanagh] acknowledged to me at halftime. We discussed how he could minimize the time wasted, and he mentioned that it isn’t even difficult for him. We need clear regulations so that we can support the referee. They must adhere to certain standards, and the Premier League needs to assist them more.”
Brighton had greater possession, more attempts on goal, and a higher expected goals metric but still faced defeat.
“I appreciated how we played football,” Hürzeler remarked. “I believe there was only one team that aimed to play football today, and I am proud of how they performed.
“I will never be the type of manager who seeks to win in that manner; I aim to develop players. I want players to continue improving and playing football on the pitch. Ultimately, every team will manage and waste time, but I think there should be a limit, and that limit must be established by the Premier League. At present, they can do as they please.
“I’m uncertain if I were to ask everyone here in the room, ‘did they truly enjoy this football match?’ I am sure perhaps one person would raise their hand because they are a devoted Arsenal supporter. Aside from that, no chance.
“Where will this lead in the future? That is my question. One match we play 60 minutes of actual time, and then against Arsenal, only 50 minutes. There is a 10-minute difference — is this what fans are paying for? You understand my point?”
Arteta declined to respond to the remarks. “What a surprise,” he said when Hürzeler’s comments were relayed to him.
“You can look back at previous matches, and you’ll find numerous comments like this consistently.
“I cherish my players. That is the highlight. I love my players, we appreciate our players, and I admire the way we compete.”
