Former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has said Arsenal’s Premier League performances this season could take the shine off a potential title win.
Mikel Arteta’s side secured a narrow 1–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night, thanks to a first-half strike from Bukayo Saka.
Speaking live on commentary for talkSPORT during the match, Pardew suggested that there would still be “an asterisk” next to any potential Premier League title for the north London club, given the nature of their performances this season. He said:
“When I’m looking at them as my football manager’s head on, they’re so professional.
“They do every bit of gamesmanship to get it over the line. It’s only a goal, isn’t it?
“But really and truly, Brighton, although they have definitely upped the tempo and looked better in the second half, they’ve not really hurt Arsenal.
“And at the moment, it looks like Arsenal are going to see it through.
“There’ll be an asterisk next to their name because you’ve only got to look at them really in these types of performances and say, it’s just a functional display.
“It’s a professional, functional display. They’re good, they’re strong, they’re powerful. But there is nothing beautiful about them. That’s the truth.”
The narrow 1–0 win over the Seagulls means Mikel Arteta’s side has now won 10 Premier League matches by a single-goal margin this season.
However, Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler was far from impressed with the nature of the victory.
In his post-match press conference, Hurzeler claimed that “only one team tried to play football” and criticised what he saw as time-wasting tactics from the visitors.
He went on to accuse the Gunners of “making their own rules” during the match and insisted that the contest was not enjoyable for anyone watching — except Arsenal supporters. Said Hurzeler:
“There are different kinds of winning, so if they win the Premier League, no one will ask how they win the Premier League.
“I think you can really feel that they do everything now to win this game, and in the end, it’s about the rules.
“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 Arsenal are making their own rules, no matter how they are playing. That’s why I think it’s difficult to judge that.
“Overall, like I said, I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way, I want to do well, I want my players to keep improving and keep playing football on the pitch and in the end, of course, every team will manage and waste time, but I think 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 just can do what they want.”
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