Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez accused me of 'dark arts' and I laughed all the way home

Sam Allardyce rattled the cages of Premier League greats on multiple occasions with his own take on the 'dark arts'.

The former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham manager was not afraid to mix it up with the elite, often irritating rival managers.

The term “dark arts” is often used to describe certain maneuvers on the playing field, or as some prefer to call it, tactical skill, which includes clever play or taking advantage of opportunities to make time pass.

It has come to light in recent days after the departure of Mikel Arteta Arsenal grind a 2-2 draw in Manchester City despite playing the entire second half with ten men after Leandro Trossard was sent off.

The Gunners were just seconds away from victory at the Etihad Stadium but John Stones' 98th-minute equaliser ensured Pep Guardiola's side retained top spot.

Arsenal defended resolutely in what looked like an unenviable task, however, Arteta's men have since been criticised for persistent time-wasting, which led to a considerable amount of extra time being awarded.

Following Sunday's clash, Opta Analyst has calculated the average time it takes each Premier League club from being awarded corners, goal kicks, free kicks, penalties, throw-ins and kick-off, to the time it takes to get the ball back into play.

And the Gunners have proven to be the biggest time wasters this season, with 31.8 seconds between dead ball situations.

Discussing Arsenal's approach on talkSPORT Breakfast, Allardyce says every club imposes dark arts when necessary and praised Arteta's side for their disciplined second-half performance against City.

Asked if he was a master of the dark arts during his spells as a manager, Allardyce replied: “Aren't we all when we have to be? Depending on the situation, I think when you're playing with ten men you're entitled to do whatever you think is necessary to get a result against the best team in Europe, if not the world.

“What a great job they (Arsenal) did! There will always be time wasted.”

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The former England manager recalled a case of dark arts during a match between Liverpool and Bolton at Anfield, which left him laughing all the way home.

“I remember Rafa Benitez giving Bolton a brutal run for their money at Liverpool,” he said. “I laughed all the way home because we got a good result.”

Allardyce continued: “Everyone wastes time when it suits them. They[Arsenal]waste a lot more time because they have 45 minutes with ten men to try to get through.”

“Normally when it happens and there is only one goal, the time-wasting starts maybe with five minutes (remaining) or stoppage time, where people run with the ball to the corner and keep it there or get hit and fall down and lose a bit of time.

“You always notice that the goalkeeper catches the ball with no one on him and then falls to the ground. Then he gets up and that's another couple of seconds lost.

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“I think the referee (Manchester City vs Arsenal) could have done more from the start, not only because of the loss of time but because of the physical nature of the match.”