Arsenal leads unwanted Premier League chart on dark arts

After their fiery 2-2 draw against Manchester City, Arsenal has faced criticism for their use of “dark arts.”

Mikel Arteta’s side came within seconds of securing a famous win, despite playing with ten men after a first-half red card.

Last season, the Gunners took City to the final day in their bid for the Premier League title, cementing their place as England’s second most competitive club. Though City ultimately won the league, Arsenal has maintained a strong position this season.

In this weekend’s match, Arsenal looked poised to take all three points and return to the top of the Premier League table. However, after the game, several Manchester City players criticised Arsenal, accusing them of not playing to win and employing time-wasting tactics.

A report from The Sun supports this claim, revealing that Arsenal has been the slowest team to restart play, with an average delay of 33.5 seconds per restart this season—ten seconds longer than Liverpool.

Interestingly, Arsenal shares this statistic with Aston Villa, who are just behind them on the list of teams delaying restarts.

Just Arsenal Opinion

We have been called out for our delays, but we do not expect that to change anytime soon.