FANS spotted Arsenal’s sneaky new tactic in their Premier League clash against Manchester United.
The two giants collided at Old Trafford on Sunday with plenty of new signings on show.
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But there was also a fresh rule implemented in the game which had a major effect on Mikel Arteta’s game plan.
Under new legislation, goalkeepers are now required to release the ball after eight seconds or less.
Should a stopper hang on to it for longer, the opposing team is awarded a corner.
And set-piece king Arteta showed he was ready to immediately manipulate the rule with a cheeky new tactic.
In a bid to delay United from taking goal-kicks, Arsenal players took it in turns to block goalie Altay Bayindir whenever he had the ball.
Their hope was to force the Turk to hold on to it, thereby passing the magic eight seconds to hand them a corner.
Arsenal have scored 31 Prem goals from corners since the start of the 2023/24 season – 11 more than next nearest side Liverpool.
And Arteta clearly saw it as a worthwhile effort to get an extra one or two of the set-pieces.
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Unfortunately for the Gunners, referee Simon Hooper was smart to their game plan.
And he made sure players stood away from Bayindir before starting the countdown on his watch.
Fans were certainly left amused by Arsenal’s behaviour.
One said: “The lengths being made for those marginal gains.”
Another declared: “Another year, Arsenal going to foul keepers and defenders on corners then.”
One noted: “Typical.”
Another added: “Trying to slow our goalie down for another corner.”
