Давид Раягийн торгуулийн цохилт хаасан үйлдэл болон Бруно Гимараесын гоол Арсеналын хожлыг баталгаажуулсан шийдвэрлэх мөчүүд байв.
Арсенал зочлон тоглосон Сандерлендын эсрэг 2-0-ийн харьцаатай ялалт байгуулж, Премьер лигт 100 хувийн амжилттай тоглолтоо үргэлжлүүллээ. Тоглолтын хоёрдугаар үеийн эхэнд Сандерленд торгуулийн цохилт гүйцэтгэх эрх авсан ч хаалгач Давид Рая Энзо Ле Фегийн цохилтыг гайхалтай хаан зогсоов. Үүнээс ердөө хоёр хагас минутын дараа сэлгээгээр талбайд гарсан Бруно Гимараес Деклан Райсын дамжуулалтаар гоолдож, Арсеналыг тэргүүлэлд хүргэсэн юм.
Тоглолтын төгсгөлд Букайо Сака торгуулийн цохилтоос гоолдож ялалтыг баталгаажуулсан бол Сандерлендын тоглогч Рейнилдо хоёр дахь шар хуудсаа авснаар талбайг чөлөөлөв. Арсеналын бүрэлдэхүүнд бэртэлтэй Бен Уайтын оронд талбайд гарсан Юрриен Тимбер гоол оруулах дөхсөн ч оффсайд байрлал гэж үзэн тооцоогүй байна.
Арсеналын дасгалжуулагч Микель Артета тоглолтын явцад хагас хамгаалагчдаа сэлгэн тоглуулж, бүрэлдэхүүний өргөн сонголтоо ашиглан тоглолтын хэмнэлийг хянав. Сандерлендын ахлагч Гранит Жака эхний хагаст хамгаалалтад нягт тоглож, Кай Хаверцын аюултай цохилтыг өсгийгөөрөө хаасан нь багийнхаа хамгаалалтын гол хүн байсныг харууллаа. Арсенал ирэх есдүгээр сарын 15-нд Карабао цомын хүрээнд Ипсвичтэй зочлон тоглох бол есдүгээр сарын 19-нд Брайтоны талбайд зочлох хуваарьтай байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent record in dramatic fashion as they defeated a spirited Sunderland side 2-0 at the Stadium of Light. In two-and-a-half pivotal minutes David Raya saved an Enzo Le Fee penalty and Bruno Guimaraes scored a superb first goal for the club. Bukayo Saka added a stoppage time penalty to add gloss to the win.
The first half was a closely contested affair with clear chances at a premium. Kai Havertz went closest, first when he took the ball on his chest and volleyed brilliantly toward goal only to be denied by a smart Robin Roefs save, then when Granit Xhaka improvised a back-heel clearance to prevent him nodding in from close range.
Sunderland came out in the second half with a real sense of purpose and 10 minutes in had a penalty. Referee John Brooks had spent much of the game dealing with both teams seeking advantage at set pieces and decided Ezri Konsa had crossed the line when grappling with Dan Ballard. Enzo Le Fee stepped up but was denied by a brilliant save from David Raya, plunging to his left and palming the ball onto the base of the post.
Within a blink of an eye, well, two-and-a-half minutes, Arsenal were ahead. Bruno Guimaraes, on as a half-time substitute, received the ball from Declan Rice outside the box and struck a superb shot into the top corner.
In a pulsating game, Sunderland could have equalised when Nordi Mukiele’s back-heel was blocked before Arsenal thought they’d extended the lead when Jurrien Timber, making his first appearance of the season as a substitute for the injured Ben White, head in a Martin Odegaard free-kick, only for it to be ruled offside.
Mukiele forced another brilliant save from Raya in the closing moments as the champions were hanging on.
Saka converts a late penalty (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Then, in stoppage time, Reinildo conceded a penalty for a foul on Bukayo Saka, and was shown a second yellow card and sent off.
Here Art de Roche, Ahmed Walid and Michael Walker dissect the key talking points.
How important were those two-and-half minutes to the title race?
That is all the time that was between David Raya’s latest divine intervention for Arsenal and Bruno Guimaraes’ first to maintain their 100 per cent start to their Premier League title defence.
Raya may not be the busiest goalkeeper in the league, but every week it seems his focus makes the difference for Arsenal. His late save against an Estavao curler secured Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on matchday three, while this save set them up to go ahead in the north east.
The timing of Raya’s dive is what makes the save, as he was certain Enzo Le Fee would aim to his (Raya’s) left before the ball was struck.
Raya saved superbly from Le Fee’s penalty (Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
Guimaraes’ strike, which kissed the crossbar on its way in, was equally as impressive as it typified his desire to move the ball forward whenever he has made it onto the pitch this season.
The former Newcastle captain’s cheeky celebration against his former rivals was the icing on top, but this win is thanks to Arsenal’s goalkeeper.
Coincidentally, his first big moment for Arsenal came with two saves in a Champions League penalty shootout against Porto in 2024. Excluding shootouts, this was Raya’s fourth penalty save for Arsenal.
As well as setting up the win, it earned him his third clean sheet in four league matches. While Arsenal hunt down back-to-back Premier League titles, Raya’s quest for a fourth successive golden glove may be the race to watch.
His claw at Nordi Mukiele’s late stab towards goal and reaction to reach the ball before a sea of red and white shirts was an exceptional end to another critical shutout.
Art de Roche
Was this another example of the power of Arsenal’s squad depth?
The importance of squad depth is something Arsenal had to learn the hard way towards the end of 2024-25.It is something that was vital in their first Premier League title in 22 years last season, and has been showing its value in the early games of this season, especially in midfield.
Adding Bruno Guimaraes to Mikel Arteta’s options in the centre of the pitch has provided the team with a different profile, which can add to the threat in the final third as seen by his winner in this match.
Bruno Guimaraes delivered a perfect strike when Arsenal needed it (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Arteta has been rotating his midfield during the matches, allowing the starters to rest while keeping the substitutes on their toes.
The benefit is clear and the performances of the midfield substitutes have been positive, with Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi’s introduction against Aston Villa an example of that.
In addition to using the bench to see out games, the depth in Arsenal’s midfield and the different profiles makes them more unpredictable during matches and from one to another.
Ahmed Walid
Was this the clearance of the season so far?
If there is one player which embodied Sunderland’s intense approach in the first half, it was their captain Granit Xhaka.
He was at the centre of their defensive block, organising his team-mates and getting into duels.
That’s the type of leadership that has been at the core of Sunderland’s success since the Switzerland midfielder’s arrival last season, and why they rebuffed Chelsea’s interest in him this summer.
Granit Xhaka’s improvised clearance almost certainly saved a goal (WM Sport Media/Getty Images)One action that summarised Xhaka’s display was his clearance inside the six-yard box as Arsenal played a short free kick to Christos Tzolis, swung it towards the back post for Bukayo Saka, who headed it across goal, only for Sunderland’s captain to clear it with a backheel to deny Kai Havertz from scoring the opener.
Ahmed Walid
Did Brobbey rattle Arsenal again?
In the corresponding fixture last season Brian Brobbey rattled Arsenal as a second half substitute. Brobbey scored the late equaliser to make it 2-2. It was a raucous night on Wearside and Brobbey’s combative cameo captured the home mood.
Last night Brobbey was on from the start and Ezri Konsa knew about it. The muscular Dutchman was Sunderland’s focal point, tasked with holding the ball as others raced to support.
Brobbey was a handful for the Arsenal defence (Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
But it was not wholly effective, Brobbey was isolated and had no clear chance by the time Arsenal went ahead. Regis Le Bris sent on Wilson Isidor in an effort to help out Brobbey. But Sunderland are not the first to discover this Arsenal are formidable.
Michael Walker
What did Arteta say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Arsenal?
Tuesday, September 15: Ipswich (Away), Carabao Cup third round, 8pm BST, 3pm ET; Saturday, September 19: Brighton (Away), Premier League, 3pm BST, 10am ET
