Will Arsenal’s ‘villains’ be Premier League winners tonight?

Arsenal now they are as strong as the villains of the Premier League title race – but on this tense night they won Brighton it may be what ultimately makes them winners.

The Gunners, it is possible, will end up as the unpopular, unpopular champions as their strong approach continues to be under unfavorable scrutiny.

Indeed, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler, who flagged what he considered Arsenal’s time-wasting before the game, was not swayed by what he saw.

“I think there was only one team that tried to play football today”, Hurzeler said, “so I’m proud of the way they did it.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta defended his side, hailing Hurzeler’s criticism as “surprised” before saying: “Just go back to previous games and you’ll find a lot of comments like this.”

But further criticism came from Hurzeler who was outspoken after a disappointing performance that was rectified by Bukayo Saka’s first goal, which saw Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table extended to seven points, setting up a decisive opportunity.

Will Arsenal and Arteta care if the means justify ending their 22-year wait to win the Premier League? It’s impossible.

Arteta’s side have been criticized for what outside observers see as their use of the dark arts and over-reliance on set-piece specialists to maintain their position at the top of the table.

And this 1-0 win at the Amex Stadium was the definition of a poor win. Actually describing it as “ugly” is an insult.

When the half-time whistle came, Arsenal’s xG was just 0.01. The second half was no better as it took until the 88th minute for Kai Havertz to register their second effort on target. The final result was the tenth time this season they won by one goal.

It did not please Hurzeler at all, who spent almost the entire game frustrated by Arsenal’s strategy and what was happening in front of him.

However, with Gunners fans reacting with joy at the final whistle of this win and Manchester City’s failure to beat Nottingham Forest, this beast of a victory could turn out to be a beauty.

With Arsenal celebrating and City slipping, this felt like it could be a defining night in the fierce battle for the Premier League finish line.

This is not a popularity contest. It’s a tough title race that Arsenal are currently winning.

Hurzeler continued the progressive theme about Arteta’s Arsenal when he said: “I’m not going to be the type of manager who tries to win like that. I want to do well. I want my players to keep improving, keep playing football on the pitch.

“In the end, of course, each team will manage and waste time, but I think there should be a limit, and the limit should be set by the Premier League. The limit should be set by the referees, at the moment they just do what they want.”

Hurzeler continued: “If I were to ask everyone in the room right now if they really enjoyed this football game I’m sure that maybe someone would raise their arm because they’re a big Arsenal fan but other than that, there’s no chance.”

Arteta, as expected, passionately defended his players and their approach.

“I love my players,” he said. “That’s what stands out. I love my players, we love our players and I love the way we compete.”

And on foreign criticism, Arteta replied: “I think they love our players. I mean, every time they talk about our players, I think they are the most loved in the country.”

He added: “We take care of our garden.