English referee Robert Jones shows a yellow card to Sheffield United's Irish defender Enda Stevens. (Photo by JASON CAIRNDUFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)English referee Robert Jones shows a yellow card to Sheffield United's Irish defender Enda Stevens. (Photo by JASON CAIRNDUFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
English referee Robert Jones shows a yellow card to Sheffield United's Irish defender Enda Stevens. (Photo by JASON CAIRNDUFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Revealed: The worst divers in the Premier League - and how Brighton measure up

Diving has been a scourge on professional football for years and years.

Admittedly, in recent times the introduction of VAR and last week’s abortive effort at forming a European Super League have given supporters something else to rage against, but there’s no getting away from the fact that simulation has been a talking point that has dominated conversations in the past.

In the Premier League in particular, it feels as if there is often a heightened scrutiny surrounding contentious decisions.

Brighton have been involved in their fair share already this season – after all, who could forget Lewis Dunk’s bizarre disallowed goal against West Brom earlier in the campaign?

And even with the advent of video technology, diving is still very much part and parcel of the top flight game.

But which clubs are the worst offenders when it comes to trying to dupe referees into handing out free-kicks and penalties?

Research from Bookmakers.tv has sought to determine who the most prolific divers in the Premier League are by looking at which sides have received the most bookings for simulation since 2016/17.

On an individual level, Manchester United’s Dan James leads the way with three cautions, but how does his questionable record compare to the rest of his teammates, and where do Brighton rank among the 20 sides who currently make up the English top flight?

Click and scroll through the pages below to read our countdown of the which clubs try to pull the wool over referees’ eyes most often...

Brighton have been involved in their fair share already this season – after all, who could forget Lewis Dunk’s bizarre disallowed goal against West Brom earlier in the campaign?