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Miles Starforth was at the Stadium of Light. Here’s his report. Meanwhile thanks for reading this MBM, and remember …
… he loves you!
Woof! Photograph: Richard Lee/ShutterstockShare
Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky. “A really tough test … credit to them … they made it very difficult … very unfortunately at the end we conceded a goal … the time that has been added tells you the story of the game … we created a lot of chances … we conceded two aerial balls … two flicks … they created chaos … that’s the reason they are where they are … now we have the international break … we are really disappointed but we have to go again …I loved the way the team reacted … it’s just a shame we conceded in the last minute but that is the league.”
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Post-match postbag. “We’ve had a pair of 2-2 draws today featuring teams at the top end of the table. It says something about how good Sunderland are, that this was by a considerable distance the better of these two matches. The Black Cats look like serious contenders for a top-four finish” – Kári Tulinius
“It’s hard not to feel enthusiasm for the Sunderland fans (well, unless you are a Newcastle fan). They’ve been through such a crappy few years that it is genuinely heartwarming as a neutral to see other fans go through an adventure like this. In the grim grind of Premier League predictability this is probably as close as we’ll get to fun” – Paul Jaines
“As far as Arsenal’s title ambitions are concerned, this is highway Brobbery” – Peter Oh
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The man of the moment, Dan Ballard, speaks to Sky Sports. “You saw again the fight in the team … it’s incredible … we fight to the end … the amount of late goals we score, it’s brilliant … they caused us a lot of problems … camped in on the edge of the box … we thought we could get something out of the game and we did … if we keep going like this, hopefully we can achieve our goal.”
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Quite a few grim Arsenal faces. The league leaders thought they’d turned that one around. They were minutes away from their 11th consecutive win in all competitions … but then Brian Brobbey popped up to secure a point for newly promoted Sunderland, who are now third in the table! The Black Cats are obviously delighted, and celebrate a deserved draw after a game of great ebb and flow: Sunderland were the better team in a battling first half, Arsenal showed their title credentials to turn the scoreline around in style, but went too defensive during the last knockings and paid the price against a team who seized the day. Dan Ballard was named player of the match, and deservedly so, having scored a fine goal, set up the other, and blocked what looked a certain winner right at the death. That’s was fine evening’s entertainment, though Arsenal won’t be feeling too chipper about their being a part of it right now.
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Updated at 14.49 EST
FULL TIME: Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Arsenal concede twice for the first time this season, Sunderland earning a deserved draw in dramatic fashion!
Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.41 EST
90 min +8: … and then Talbi nearly takes advantage of a Rice slip to tear clear on goal, but the Arsenal man recovers his poise just in time.
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90 min +7: That old Roker Roar fairly crackled the atmosphere. And there’s another as Arsenal threaten to take the lead again. Calafiori heads goalwards from the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Roefs star-jumps to block, but the ball sits up for Merino, who surely must score. But his piledriver, from six yards out, is blocked by the sliding Ballard, who arrives from nowhere! What a double stop!
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90 min +5: Arsenal are livid, complaining that Brobbey’s boot was high. But he was entitled to go for that dropping ball. VAR has a check, but the goal stands!
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GOAL! Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal (Brobbey 90+4)
Yep! Hume, quarterbacking 35 yards out, dinks a diagonal pass into the mixer. Ballard heads down for Brobbey, who despite being held, bicycle-kicks over the out-rushing Raya and into the net! Wow! Some finish!
Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey celebrates Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 14.35 EST
90 min +3: Arsenal are sitting back. Very deep. Are they inviting trouble?
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90 min +2: Xhaka drives at the Arsenal defence but there’s no way through. He slips the ball wide to Adingra, whose cross is dealt with by Gabriel.
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90 min +1: The first of seven additional minutes.
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90 min: Gabriel looks to have been hauled down off the ball by Brobbey, stopping the striker getting to a loose ball. No free kick, though. Rice gets there instead and tries to beat Roefs from inside the centre circle! His effort floats wide right. There would have been some noise had that gone in, for more than one reason.
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88 min: … while Mosquera comes on for Eze. Sunderland’s change an attacking one, while Arsenal go defensive. All understandable and as expected. Nothing comes of the throw that’s launched into the mixer.
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87 min: Adingra crosses from the left. Saliba heads out for a throw. Before the set piece comes in, Geertrudia is replaced by Mayenda …
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85 min: Hume sends a glorious ball into the Arsenal box from a deep position on the right. It’s taken down in his stride by Reinildo, who should launch a first-time shot goalwards, but takes a heavy touch instead. The ball nearly bobbles across to Brobbey, but the striker can’t poke home before Raya comes across to bravely gather.
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83 min: Mukiele returns … just in time to rob Rice and set Sunderland off on a counter-attack. Brobbey chases after a long pass down the right, but Calafiori is on point to stop him.
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81 min: Mukiele lands awkwardly and requires some treatment. The first long pause in play for a wee while.
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79 min: A long throw into the Arsenal box from the left. Ballard flicks it on, towards Brobbey at the far post. Raya swipes at the ball to make things harder for Brobbey, who still manages to prod goalwards. Raya blocks again. A sensational double save, though the flag then goes up for offside anyway. Brobbey was definitely off, but Raya wasn’t to know that. All those clean sheets didn’t happen by accident.
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78 min: Calafiori rugby-tackles Hume from behind, as the Sunderland full-back attempts to advance down the right. He should go into the book, but inexplicably gets away with it. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
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76 min: Ballard and Eze engage in a little bout of wrestling. The big defender comes off best. VAR has a quick look, the referee having showed no interest in it, but there’s nothing doing. It’s Sunderland’s turn to show their frustration.
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GOAL! Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal (Trossard 74)
Rice’s delivery isn’t all that. Sunderland have their chances to clear the ball, but don’t take them. It’s shuttled out left to Trossard, who takes a touch infield. He finds a pocket of space, given too much time by Sadiki and Brobbey. Trossard lines up and fires a rising shot into the top left. Another fine finish as Arsenal turn it around!
Photograph: Richard Lee/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 14.16 EST
73 min: Reinildo wrestles again with Saka, but this time the Arsenal man wins the duel. As he dribbles away, Reinildo grabs his shirt and goes into the book. Rice to swing in the free kick.
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71 min: The resulting free kick is curled in by Xhaka. Arsenal clear. Saka barges into the back of Reinildo, and makes his frustrations known when the whistle goes. The flow of this game has suddenly been disrupted, and it’s a state of affairs that surely favours Sunderland. Arsenal need to get their press going and passes flowing again.
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69 min: Calafiori shoves Hume in the back. Hume goes down lightly to win a cheap free kick. Mikel Arteta’s dander is up.
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68 min: Reinildo clips Saka out on the right. Rice sends the free kick in. Roefs comes off his line to punch but is checked by Merino. Free kick, and things threaten to spill over when Gabriel arrives on the scene to ask a few arguably unnecessary questions. Roefs calms it all down.
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66 min: Saka crosses from the right. Roefs punches clear. Zubimendi chests down on the edge of the D, and Le Tissiers a vicious looping volley that cannons off the crossbar and away. Roefs was rooted to the spot; had that been half an inch lower it was nestling in the top-left corner. What a shot!
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64 min: On the ropes, Sunderland make a triple change. Traore, Isidor and Le Fee are replaced by Talbi, Brobbey and Adingra.
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62 min: A second Arsenal goal, to clarify. And yet for a second Sunderland look like threatening one of their own, Geertruida slipping a cute ball down the left channel and nearly releasing Sadiki.
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61 min: Arsenal are buzzing around relentlessly. Sunderland can’t get out. The leaders probe down both flanks with pace and precision. The ball’s eventually teed up for Eze, who slams a shot straight at Roefs. A second goal feels no more than a matter of time.
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60 min: Replays of the equaliser show just how good Saka’s finish was. He had the smallest window in the bottom-right corner to aim for, and forensically fired it home, just out of Roefs’ reach.
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58 min: Trossard finds Zubimendi in the box by nutmegging Traore from the left-hand edge of the Sunderland box. Zubimendi swivels and steers a shot across the rooted Roefs. It dribbles inches wide of the right-hand post. So close. Arsenal really do have the wind behind now.
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