Premier League matches were at risk of becoming as disjointed as American football as fans endured a mass of stoppages on Saturday.
Play was halted a total of 49 times, including substitutions and drinks breaks, with four games exceeding 100 minutes. The number of breaks in play does not include pauses for VAR checks or lengthy injuries.
During Brentford’s win over Manchester United, the ball was in play for just 46.3% of the game — the lowest figure in the league this weekend. In two other games, the ball was also in play for less than half of the match.