The numbers behind Arsenal's 'time-wasting' antics as Brighton & Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler rages at Gunners tactics

React to this story

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler refused to hide his anger after his side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal. The Seagulls boss took the opportunity after the match to fire accusations of time-wasting at the Premier League leaders, so TNT Sports investigates his claims to see how valid they might be.

Highlights: Saka strike sends Gunners seven clear

Video credit: TNT Sports

"In the end, of course, every team will manage and waste time, but I think there has to be a limit."

Needless to say, Brighton & Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler was left feeling hard done by at the conclusion of his side’s 1-0 defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal.

After Bukayo Saka fired his side into an early lead at Amex Stadium, The Seagulls, despite controlling much of the game, could not find a way back.

Transfers

Madrid agree €140m Diomande deal and offer Vinicius Jr new contract - Paper Round

3 hours ago

Thanks to Manchester City’s draw with Nottingham Forest, Arsenal’s win saw them extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points.

This leaves Mikel Arteta’s side just eight games away from securing a first league title for 22 years, but the manner of their most recent victory suggests – not that they will care – that many neutrals will be unimpressed with their stylistic approach to glory, least of all, it seems, the disgruntled Seagulls boss.

Ahead of the meeting on the south coast, Hurzeler fired a broadside at The Gunners over their perceived time-wasting tactics, specifically at corners.

Following his side’s defeat, the 33-year-old doubled down, claiming that rule changes are needed to combat what he felt were deliberate delays to the game from the north London side.

The Brighton boss told TNT Sports: "I ask one question: did you see in the Premier League game a goalkeeper going down three times? No?"

"I think the Premier League has to find the rule and it's not my business. I made my point before the game and I stick to it.

Hurzeler: Premier League needs to 'find rule' to stamp out 'time-wasting'

Video credit: TNT Sports

"In 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 Arsenal are making their own rules, no matter how they are playing. That's why I think it's difficult to judge that."

But do Hurzeler’s criticisms actually stack up? Are Arsenal really the masters of the so-called ‘dark arts’ in the Premier League when it comes to stoppages and delays, potentially disrupting the flow of their opponents?

According to Opta, Arteta’s side spent an average of 31.4 seconds against Brighton getting the ball back in play from corners, goal-kicks, throw-ins and free kicks.

The home side's restarts averaged 21.5 seconds – which would be expected given the game state in which they found themselves in, chasing an equaliser from the eighth minute.

Despite the clear gap between the two sides’ approaches on the night, Arteta’s side’s display was by no means the most egregious when it comes to delays this season.

Amid Hurzeler’s protestations, this fixture doesn’t even crack the top 10 in terms of delays, with Opta also reporting that there have been 195 instances of teams taking longer in a Premier League game this season.

In Chelsea’s 3-1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, The Blues still amassed an average of 45 seconds per restart, the most of any team this season.

Date	Team (opponent)	Delays	Average time (seconds)
Feb. 2, 2026	Chelsea (v Wolves)	37	45.0
Feb. 28, 2026	Brentford (v Burnley)	46	43.7
Jan. 1, 2026	Wolves (v Everton)	38	43.3
Dec. 12, 2025	Spurs (v Liverpool)	37	43.2
Nov. 29, 2025	Sunderland (v Bournemouth)	45	42.0

Arsenal’s total delays in the match came in at 59, which is the joint-eighth most delays in a single league fixture this season.

Once again, this doesn’t suggest they are the sole offenders or even among the worst in this regard.

Liverpool’s home defeat against Manchester United in October saw the reigning champions total 68 delays, leading the way for a Premier League match this season.

The total time delayed by The Gunners in the game clocked in at 30 minutes, 51 seconds, again, not even in the top 10 longest in a Premier League match this campaign, and some way short of the 37:05 delay time by Newcastle United in their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in August.

Where Hurzeler may have a point about The Gunners’ tactics comes from their overall average time of delays this season of 30.2 seconds, the sixth-highest in the division.

Brighton are notably far speedier at getting games going again, with an average delay time of 26.5 seconds, and only Liverpool quicker.

Premier League 2025/26 average time of delays (in seconds) - via Opta

Sunderland	33.1
Brentford	32.3
Crystal Palace	31.2
Newcastle	30.8
Leeds	30.4
Arsenal	30.2
Burnley	30.0
Aston Villa	29.8
Tottenham Hotspur	29.8
Chelsea	29.6
West Ham	29.6
Everton	29.4
Wolves	28.9
Manchester United	28.0
Nottingham Forest	27.7
Bournemouth	27.6
Fulham	26.7
Manchester City	26.6
Brighton	26.5
Liverpool	25.8

Continuing his rant in his press conference, Hurzeler added: "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 can do what they want.

"In the end we have to make the limits, or the Premier League has to make the limits. Where will this go in the future? That's my question. Where will this go?

"Like, at one point, one game you play 60 minutes, and then when you play against Arsenal only 50 minutes, then it's 10 minutes difference, so is this what the supporters are paying for? Do you get my point?"

The German’s "point" about the time of game being impacted by delays is a valid one, but once again, pointing the finger at Arsenal in the heat of the moment after a loss seems to miss the point of it being a wider issue in the Premier League.

This season, across the entire division, the average time of restarts is 29.2 seconds, which is up year-on-year, albeit very marginally, compared to last season (28.7s).

Ball in-play time to date sits at 55:32 this term, which is 55.3% of a game – the lowest since the 2009/10 campaign (55.2%).

Arteta: Arsenal's effort 'astronomical' in gritty away win

Video credit: TNT Sports

On his point of Arsenal matches being shorter than others, Arteta’s side’s average in-play time is 55:59 (55.6%), which is only bettered by six teams (Brighton included), and hovers just above the league average.

In light of his side’s defeat, Hurzeler chose to direct his ire at Arsenal, but the data suggests Arteta and his side are not the sole, nor even primary, culprits when it comes to delays and apparent time-wasting in matches.

The focus and scrutiny will be on the table-toppers due to their lofty standing and seemingly relentless pursuit of the title.

But if match-winner Saka’s response to the criticism is anything to go by, it’s unlikely that they will be too concerned about how others view their style of play in their remaining games, as long as they get the three points.

"This game was quite ugly," he admitted. "We didn't play our best, but sometimes it's just about getting results."

Stream the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Men's and Women's FA Cup and more on TNT Sports and discovery+

Transfers