Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal: WOW! What a point! James Copley and Phil Smith react at the Stadium of Light
Dan Ballard reflects on a “really special” goal against his former club as Sunderland earned a dramatic late point
The centre-back, who came through Arsenal’s academy before moving to Wearside, opened the scoring with a composed finish before later providing the flick-on that led to Brian Brobbey’s dramatic 94th-minute equaliser. Reflecting on the occasion, Ballard said it was an evening he will remember for a long time.
“It was a really special moment for me, and a really important goal with the timing of the game,” he said after Sunderland’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light. “I was delighted with it, and thank God we backed it up in the end with a point to show for it.”
Sunderland once again rallied late, continuing a theme that has defined Régis Le Bris’ side during their return to the Premier League. Ballard believes the team’s resilience is becoming a defining trait. “I think that’s been a theme,” he said. “We’re scoring late goals, and we’re defending like our lives depend on it. Again, here, you saw the character of the lads to score the late goal, and then to hang on again at the end.”
Ballard said nothing about Arsenal’s quality came as a surprise, explaining that Sunderland had prepared for exactly the type of game that unfolded. “We prepare like a normal game, but the quality’s obviously a lot higher,” he said. “The game starts, and you can see their quality instantly, but it’s nothing we didn’t prepare for. It’s exactly the game we thought would happen – it played out how we thought it would.”
Despite Arsenal’s league position and form, Ballard insisted Sunderland went into the match with a clear intention to win, something he feels has grown naturally as confidence has built over the season. “You can probably tell straight from the kick-off, we always have a game plan to win,” he said. “Maybe results earlier in the season have helped with that, but we set out to win, and I thought we executed the game plan. Of course, it was always going to be really tough, but we got that late equaliser and they scored two good goals, to be fair. It could have gone either way, but we’re obviously happy with the point in the end.”
Ballard has quickly become one of Sunderland’s most consistent performers, adapting impressively to top-flight football. The demands, he says, are completely different to the Championship – but his own attributes have allowed him to thrive. “It’s a lot different to the Championship, and certainly from the last three or four years playing in the Championship,” he said.
“It’s been a really refreshing year, just to try something new, a new style of football. The Premier League this year seems to have a big emphasis on that physicality. We’ve had to defend lots in a low block just because of the quality we’re up against. At times, that’s probably been playing to my strengths. I’m just enjoying it at the moment, trying to help my team.”
His knack for producing in the biggest moments has not gone unnoticed either, something Ballard laughed about but did not shy away from embracing. “I suppose I’m maybe getting that reputation,” he said. “Hopefully, I can just keep going and keep producing.”
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Ballard also admitted he occasionally allows himself a moment of perspective, with the reality of performing in the Premier League still sinking in after years on loan and battling in the EFL. “It’s nice to step back and reflect at times,” he said. “I never dreamt of playing in the Premier League, so to be doing it now and performing well, sometimes it’s nice to step back and realise this is quite special. Hopefully, it’s just the start and there’s a lot more work to go because I want to be here as long as possible.”
The night carried personal significance too, given his family ties to Arsenal – something he joked about in the aftermath. “I’ve got a bit of a split,” he added. “My brother’s not going to be very happy. I’m sure he’s going to be delighted for me, but he’s a big Arsenal fan.”
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