VIDEO: 'F*cking play football!' - Camera catches Fabian Hurzeler's sweary rant at Piero Hincapie as Arsenal star shushes Brighton boss

The Premier League title race reached its peak on Wednesday night, but the most explosive action took place on the touchline. Brighton manager Hurzeler was caught on camera hurling abuse at Arsenal's defender Hincapie during the Seagulls' narrow 1-0 defeat. The incident happened when the Ecuador international went to take a throw-in by the dugouts.

Visible frustration consumed the young German coach, who was seen telling Hincapie: "F*cking play football!" While Bukayo Saka’s strike eventually decided the contest, the narrative quickly shifted to the technical area where Hurzeler and Mikel Arteta were frequently seen in heated discussions.

Before the match, Hurzeler had already complained about Arsenal's time spent taking corners. Following the defeat, the manager escalated the situation again in his post-match press conference, stating that only one team was trying to play football and accusing the Gunners of constantly wasting time.

"At the moment I have the feeling they are doing their own rules no matter how they are playing, so that’s why I think it’s difficult to judge that," Hurzeler noted after the match. "Overall, like I said, I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way. I ask one question: Did you see in a Premier League game a goalkeeper going down three "We need to find a way to find solutions against these kind of teams and that’s our responsibility so we have to keep working. Complaining doesn’t help so that’s why focus is on us."

When these comments were relayed to Arteta, the Spaniard offered a dismissive reply: "What a surprise! No. You just go back to the previous games and you’ll find a lot of comments like this always from him."

When pressed on whether he cared about the opinions of other managers regarding his team's tactics, Arteta remained icy in his dismissal. "Care? Depends on the manager. And the comments, and the purpose of them."

This victory keeps Arsenal's bid for their first league title in over two decades alive. The Gunners remain at the top of the table with 67 points from 30 matches, seven points ahead of Manchester City (29 matches). Next up for Arteta's side is a clash with Mansfield Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup, before they face Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 next week.

For Brighton, this defeat leaves them in 13th place with 37 points. The Seagulls will be looking to bounce back and return to winning ways when they travel to Sunderland on March 14.