Jeff Stelling has come under fire for comparing Premier League leaders Arsenal to ‘watching paint dry’ and saying he he was in ‘purgatory’during their victory over Crystal Palace.
Mikel Arteta’s side ground out a hard-fought 1-0 win over London rivals Palace on Sunday to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League.
It was Arsenal’s ninth win in ten games since they were beaten by reigning Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield back in August.
Arsenal have not been goal-shy this season – scoring the joint-second most goals in the Premier League – but their success has been built on a sensational defensive record.
The clean sheet Arsenal recorded against Crystal Palace was their fifth in a row and tenth in 13 games of the 2025-26 season.
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Despite being the clear title favourites, Arsenal have not won over everyone and Stelling has implored Arteta to be ‘a bit more expansive’.
Stelling started watching Arsenal’s clash with Palace but says he ‘turned over before they had a shot’ as it was like ‘watching paint dry’.
‘They can’t keep relying on set-plays, they just can’t,’ former Sky Sports presenter Stelling said on talkSPORT.
‘I love some of the Arsenal players. I love Saka, I love Odegaard, I love Eze. But please, please be just a bit more expansive.
‘I mean watching Arsenal against Palace was like watching paint dry. It was purgatory.
‘I started watching that match, and I had enough of it before they had a shot. I’d turned over by then, to watch Aston Villa vs Man City, which was a much better game.’
The majority of Arsenal fans were understandably unhappy with Stelling’s comments, with one writing on X: ‘Why should we change? We are not there to please him, we’re there to win the title.’
Another said: ‘We don’t want to play expansive, we want to win games and ultimately the Premier League.’
Ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy also disagreed with Stelling’s assessment of Arsenal, claiming it was the opinion of a ‘layman’.
‘Let me interject there because I like Jeff and no disrespect but it’s a laymen’s view,’ Murphy said.
‘I watched the game and Crystal Palace are arguably as well-organised as any team in the Premier League defensively. They’re shape is really good.
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‘If you think you can just click your fingers and start scoring three or four and make loads of chances against Palace, it’s not going to happen, they don’t set up like that.
‘You can go out with the intention of playing attractive football but Palace dictate how you play with their shape. You have to be patient, wait for your openings and that’s what they did and got the goal.
‘It’s a bit naive and idealistic to think because you’re a big club and you’re playing a so-called lesser team you can just go out and play this creative, wonderful football.
‘The Arsenal full-backs fly forward so they’re not overly pragmatic. They’ve just got to a level now when teams want to squeeze them and drop off.
‘There’s nothing wrong with Jeff saying he doesn’t like watching it but the reality is we’ve been spoiled with Liverpool and Man City.’
Leaders Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday against Burnley. Before that they face Brighton on Wednesday night for a place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Bournemouth, Tottenham and Sunderland currently make up the rest of the top-four, with Liverpool and Manchester City both outside the Champions League places.
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