Brighton 0-1 Arsenal: Fabian Hurzeler furious at Gunners time-wasting and refereeing in Premier League loss

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler launched an astonishing post-match rant after witnessing his side slip to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in Wednesday's Premier League action.

The German manager was left incensed by what he perceived to be excessive time-wasting from the league leaders throughout a stop-start second half.

Bukayo Saka netted the decisive goal after nine minutes to see off the Seagulls, but the match was frequently interrupted by medical treatments for goalkeeper David Raya and various other stoppages.

Having noted the time taken by the Gunners at corners before the midweek clash, the Brighton boss launched another tirade at the North Londoners after the defeat at the Amex.

"There was only one team that tried to play football today," said Hurzeler via Mirror Football. "I ask one question - do you ever see in a Premier League game the goalkeeper going down three times?

"We should focus on our performance, we cannot control these types of things. I made my point before the game."

Hurzeler furious as Saka secures narrow Arsenal win

An irked Hurzeler suggested that the Premier League need to urgently review its rules regarding such tactics.

"We shouldn't concentrate on these things... let's talk about us," said the Brighton head coach. "The Premier League needs to look at rules. There were so many [periods of time wasting].

"If the referee allows everything, at the moment they are doing their own rules. It is difficult to judge that. I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way."

Apart from the perceived time taken by Mikel Arteta's men to disrupt the Seagulls' momentum, the home side also felt they should have been awarded a penalty for what looked to be a Gabriel Martinelli foul on Mats Wieffer before the break.

#BHAARS – 45+3’

The referee’s call of no penalty to Brighton & Hove Albion for the challenge by Martinelli on Wieffer was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was no clear and obvious error.
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) March 4, 2026

"Yeah, for me it's a penalty," Hurzeler told TNT Sports. "In the end, we have to accept the decision."

Should Arsenal care about Hurzeler jibe?

On a night when Manchester City slipped up in the title race after drawing 2-2 with Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium, thereby falling seven points behind Arsenal in the table, the capital club would remain largely unfazed by how they are perceived by the German manager.

Securing results at this stage of the season remains crucial, and the Gunners must sustain that form as they strive to end their drought without a Premier League title.

With seven points separating both sides in the race for the trophy, the Londoners were the big winners on Wednesday, as it was expected that both teams would claim maximum points in the midweek fixtures.

Although Arsenal have played one more game than Pep Guardiola's team, they have a buffer of being able to lose their encounter at the Etihad on April 19 and still stay ahead, provided they do not slip up before the top-of-the-table clash.