VIDEO: Look at Mikel Arteta's face! Watch extremely awkward moment Arsenal boss is told about Fabian Hurzeler's furious 'make your own rules' rant

The fallout from Arsenal’s hard-fought win on the south coast took an unexpected turn during the post-match press conference. While the Gunners celebrated a vital three points in their pursuit of the Premier League title, Brighton manager Hurzeler was busy launching a blistering attack on the visitors' gamesmanship. The 33-year-old coach accused Arteta’s side of deliberate manipulation and excessive time-wasting to preserve their lead.

The atmosphere turned visibly uncomfortable when Arteta was directly informed of Hurzeler’s comments. Footage from the press conference captured the Spaniard’s stunned expression as he processed the allegation that his team was operating outside the spirit of the game. Despite Brighton dominating possession and registering 13 shots to Arsenal’s four, the north London side’s pragmatic approach ultimately secured the result, much to the frustration of the home dugout.

Hurzeler had previously made several sharp remarks about Arsenal's performance. In his post-match press conference, he said: "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. 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 times in a game? 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, he replied: "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."

While the victory keeps Arsenal firmly in the driver's seat for the title, the physical toll of their defensive efforts is beginning to show. The Gunners will be sweating on the fitness of William Saliba, who missed the game at the Amex due to an ankle problem. Losing the French centre-back for any significant period would be a monumental blow to the league’s most stable backline, potentially forcing Arteta to rethink his conservative tactical setup in the coming weeks.

Arsenal are now preparing for their FA Cup fifth-round clash against Mansfield Town on Saturday, followed by the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayer Leverkusen.