Arsenal set record for delays but Hurzeler’s claims don’t completely pass the test
The Gunners came in for huge criticism.
Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler was excoriating in his criticism of the approach of Premier League leaders Arsenal after the Gunners claimed a crucial 1-0 win on the south coast on Wednesday.
Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal, aided by a dreadful error from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, proved enough for Arsenal to claim all three points.
That result, combined with Manchester City’s surprise 2-2 draw at home to Nottingham Forest, stretched Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to seven points, thought they have played a game more than City.
But the main topic of conversation after the game was not Arsenal’s strong position in the title race, but Hurzeler’s comments about the Gunners’ perceived time-wasting.
The German had critcised Mikel Arteta’s side for apparent delaying tactics in his pre-match press conference, and he was scathing in his post-match assessment, insisting that “only one team tried to play”.
“I ask you one question,” Hurzeler said. “Did you see in a Premier League game a goalkeeper going down three times? You can’t control these kind of things, therefore the Premier League has to find a rule.
“I made my point before the game and I stick to it. In the end, I think [against] these kind of opponents, you can only punish [them] by winning so today I have no arguments on my side. If I would have a 2-1 win, a deserved 2-1 win, I could speak differently.”
Asked if the ends justify the means for Arsenal, Hurzeler replied: “But that’s what I mean … [it is] a different kind of winning. If they win the Premier League, no one will ask how they win the Premier League.
“You can really feel that they do everything now to win and, in the end, it’s about the rules. So if the Premier League, if the referee, allows everything, then it’s difficult. Then, they make their own rules. At the moment, I have the feeling they are doing their own rules, no matter how they are playing.
“I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way. Of course, every team will manage and waste time, but there has to be a limit and the limit has to be set by the Premier League. The limit has to be set by the referees. At the moment, they [Arsenal] just do what they want.
“Where will this go in the future? That’s my question. In one game, you play 60 minutes net and then when you play against Arsenal it’s only 50 minutes. It’s 10 minutes different and this is what the supporters are paying for. If I would ask everyone in the room: ‘Did you really enjoy this football game?’ I’m sure maybe one raises his arm because he’s a big Arsenal fan but, besides that, no chance.”
Hurzeler left no doubt about his position with his comments, but do his claims about the level of Arsenal’s time-wasting against Brighton pass the smell test?
Arsenal and time-wasting: The numbers
By one measure, they do.
According to Opta, Arsenal took a total of 30 minutes and 51 seconds to restart play against Brighton, their highest total in a Premier League game this season.
But a look at the average time it took the Gunners to get the ball back in play paints a different picture.
Arsenal spent an average of 31.4 seconds to get the ball into play from corners, goal kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks. In the 2025-26 season, there have been 195 instances where a team has taken longer to restart play.
What may have irritated Hurzeler the most, however, was the sheer number of delays by the Gunners.
Indeed, Arsenal’s tally of 59 delays against Brighton ranks as the eighth-highest total by a team in a Premier League match this term, though the overall delay time of 1851 seconds was only the 22nd-highest total.
Those numbers paint a mixed picture. The total time taken to restart play and the number of delays lend credence to Hurzler’s complaints, but the average indicates Arsenal are far from the worst, and certainly not the only offenders in this area.
Of course, Hurzeler’s frustration will have been heightened by his team’s inablity to break down Arsenal despite having 60 percent of possession and almost doubling up on the Gunners in xG (Brighton 0.8-0.43 Arsenal).
And the reality is that, as long as it is working, Arsenal will find ways to shorten games when they are not having things all their own way and are under pressure. It is not going to make them popular champions, and there will surely be more criticism of Arteta and his players but, as Hurzeler articulated, nobody in the Arsenal dressing room will care so long as they finally return to the summit of English football after three successive second-place finishes.