Jamie Carragher explains the Jose Mourinho tactic Arsenal are using amid 'cheating' allegations

Jamie Carragher is convinced that Arsenal have instructed David Raya to waste time as a deliberate ploy to gain an advantage over opponents.

Arsenal’s tactics have been in the spotlight following the incident-packed 2-2 draw against Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday. Bernardo Silva and John Stones were among the City players who criticised the Gunners for employing the so-called “dark arts” in a bid to repel the home side with 10 men.

Leandro Trossard was sent off for kicking the ball away before half-time, while Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Jesus were booked after the break for time wasting. Raya was also called out for going down with apparent cramp in a bid to frustrate City as they chased an equaliser.

Mikel Arteta has hit back at the criticism of his team’s approach, claiming he has “all the information” about City’s own tactics. But Arsenal have been revealed as the biggest time wasters in the Premier League this season and Carragher thinks they are simply building on the playbook first mastered by Jose Mourinho.

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“When I mention the Mourinho thing, he was always ahead of the game in terms of trying to gain an advantage somewhere,” the ex-Liverpool defender said on . “There’s one thing I do notice Arsenal doing more than anyone. I don’t know if the stats back me up [but] I think the goalkeeper goes down a lot more than other goalkeepers in tense situations.

“The rule is a goalkeeper can’t go off, so that’s definitely one that the coaching staff at Arsenal are more switched on about than anyone else. I see Raya go down in pressure situations.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes then replied: “Cheating, that’s called isn’t it, Jamie?” Carragher then added: “It is, but you said it so you can have the headline not me.”

HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you make of Arsenal's time-wasting tactics? Comment below.

Statistics released by Opta show that Arsenal take an average of 31.8 seconds to restart games from corners, goal kicks, free-kicks, throw-ins, penalties and kick-offs – more than any other Premier League side. The Gunners top the table ahead of Leicester and Brentford, while West Ham and Liverpool are at the opposite end of the scale.

Arteta has defended his tactics in the second half at City, insisting that was the best way to try and hold onto their 2-1 lead with 10 men. “We had to play the game that we had to play,” he said. “The first 10, 15 minutes, we couldn’t with 11 versus 11. Then we got much better. Then we were thrown in a very different context and did what every team does.

“They played 30 seconds with 10 men. Look what they did for 30 seconds. It’s normal what they did. We had to do it in a different way.”

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