The Black Cats held the Premier League leaders at the Stadium of Light, taking the lead in the first half before coming back from behind late on to draw 2-2.
Play-off final hero Dan Ballard smashed the ball past David Raya to give the hosts a half-time lead, ending Arsenal’s run of eight consecutive clean sheets. But the Gunners turned it around in the second half thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
However, Sunderland continued to take the game to the North London team and were eventually rewarded deep into stoppage time when Brian Brobbey put the ball in the net.
Mikel Arteta explains how Sunderland created ‘chaos’ during Arsenal draw
“Credit to them, it was the kind of game they wanted to throw you into and you have to deal with that,” Arteta told BBC Match of the Day.
“There are a lot of games like this in the Premier League at the moment. We conceded a goal in a way that we knew was one of their biggest strengths. They are doing that very well.”
“After that I think we responded well. We scored the first goal, then the second and the game was dominated. But at any time they just need a foul or a long throw, a direct ball to create that chaos.”
“You have to defend actions well. We conceded a goal and we are very disappointed because even at the end we had a huge chance with [Riccardo Calafiori] and Mikel [Merino] to win it. But it wasn’t intentional, so we have to accept it.”
AND BALARD!
Sunderland breaks Arsenal’s clean sheet! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lVQ3ACpp41
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 8, 2025
Asked if he had any complaints after seeing his team’s 10-match winning streak end, Arteta replied: “No, we have won the last 10 games, we have not conceded any goals, we have injured seven players and the team is phenomenal in performance and results, so let’s keep going.”
Arsenal struggled to create many chances in the first half but were much better after the break as they bombarded the Sunderland goal with shots.
“We had to do something better, especially with the way they set up with all the long and direct balls,” Arteta added.
“We said something about that that gave us more control and allowed us to dominate. We changed a few things to have more penetration and more threat. We scored two very good goals and it’s a shame how we conceded in the end.”
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