Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler attacked Arsenal in his pre- and post-match press conferences during his team’s 1-0 win over the Gunners on Wednesday night.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães was instrumental in Wednesday’s win against Brighton
Gabriel Magalhães has insisted Arsenal are not concerned about Fabian Hürzeler’s heavy criticism of time-wasting.
The Brighton manager slammed the Gunners in his pre-match press conference, claiming Mikel Arteta’s title challengers were persistently slow to restart from both corners and throw-ins.
Hürzeler, the players and the home crowd took notice of referee Chris Kavanagh for the number of suspensions during the midweek loss to the Amex.
The German tactician then slammed Arsenal in the post-match press conference, claiming that “only one team tried to play football”.
Now, Gabriel has hit back at ESPN Brazil in a flash interview, saying: “We don’t really care what he says. That’s for the referee to decide on the pitch. It’s the referee who decides if he wants to give a yellow card and how much time we take. We’ll just do what we’re doing and keep going.”
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Arsenal currently have a seven-point lead at the top of the table after Manchester City drew at home with relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, losing the lead twice.
Gabriel admits the result was a huge boost for the Gunners, ending the club’s 22-year wait for glory, but urged his team-mates to keep both feet firmly on the ground.
The Brazilian added: “We have to focus on ourselves and keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’re on a three-game winning streak right now, but of course we have to keep winning. That’s the most important thing.”
And after the game, Arteta’s man of the moment, Bukayo Saka, declared that Arsenal would not pay any attention to the critics in training.
Fabian Hürzeler felt Arsenal were out to waste time in Wednesday’s Amex match against Brighton (Image: Getty Images)
He said after scoring his 300th goal for his boyhood club. “We don’t hear about it, we don’t see it, we don’t read it. It’s not useful in any way.
“We just want to go on our way and keep winning. People will say whatever they want to see. Whether we play the most beautiful football or score from a set piece, they will still say it. For us we just want to win games and we are coming to the end of this season.”
The Premier League leaders travel to League One side Mansfield Town on Saturday lunchtime as they look to qualify for the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Arsenal then face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday night before facing Everton in the top flight next weekend.
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