Pardew: Arsenal's title would 'come with asterisk' after gritty Brighton win

Arsenal moved closer to a first Premier League title in more than two decades with a 1-0 win over Brighton, settled by an early Bukayo Saka strike. The performance leaned on defensive resilience: the Gunners managed just two shots on target and a pass accuracy of 70.9%, their lowest in over five years, while Manchester City were held 2-2 by Nottingham Forest, leaving the title in Arsenal's hands.

Former Newcastle and West Ham manager Alan Pardew criticised the approach on talkSPORT, saying the team were "so professional" and used "every bit of gamesmanship to get it over the line." He added: "There'll be an asterisk next to their name because you've only got to look at them...

and say, it's just a functional display. They're good, they're strong, they're powerful. But there is nothing beautiful about them.

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