Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal: WOW! What a point! James Copley and Phil Smith react at the Stadium of Light
Jordan Henderson delights Sunderland fans as his Brentford display deepens Newcastle’s away-day woes
Jordan Henderson’s role in Brentford’s dramatic late win over Newcastle United sparked a lively reaction on Wearside – with Sunderland supporters quick to notice the Black Cats academy graduate’s influence and the club’s official account even liking his post-match message on Instagram.
The former Sunderland midfielder, now thriving in West London, shared a celebratory post after the 3–1 victory, writing: “Marvellous. See you after the break,” accompanied by a bee emoji to reference Brentford and two raised-hands emojis to express delight. The post immediately drew engagement from Sunderland fans, many of whom welcomed seeing one of their own help condemn Newcastle to yet another damaging away defeat.
Henderson played a key part as Brentford overturned a first-half deficit to extend Newcastle’s long-running struggles on the road. Eddie Howe’s side had taken the lead through Harvey Barnes, who pounced on a loose ball inside the area and fired low through goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. But the momentum shifted sharply after the interval. Brentford equalised when Kevin Schade headed home from close range after Sven Botman’s attempted clearance from a Michael Kayode long throw dropped perfectly for the forward to nod in.
The pressure on Newcastle soon told. Dan Burn was penalised for bringing down Dango Ouattara inside the area, earning a second yellow card and leaving his side a man down. With Nick Pope forced off through injury moments earlier, substitute Aaron Ramsdale was thrust into goal for his first Premier League appearance for the club – and his first task was to face Igor Thiago from the penalty spot.
The Brentford striker coolly sent Ramsdale the wrong way before adding a second late on, capitalising on a mistake from Malick Thiaw and finishing confidently to seal the victory. Newcastle, who have slipped to 14th in the table, remain without a league win away from home since April.
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On Wearside, Henderson’s display – and his understated Instagram message – fuelled a wave of reaction from Sunderland supporters. Many took satisfaction in the Sunderland-born England international playing a key role in a result that deepens Newcastle’s difficulties.
What did Mikel Arteta say about Sunderland after the Arsenal game?
Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal “deserved” to leave the Stadium of Light with all three points – but the Gunners boss also made a point of praising Sunderland’s position in the Premier League after a dramatic 2–2 draw on Saturday night.
Arsenal looked to have completed the turnaround through second-half goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, only for Brian Brobbey to crash in a superb stoppage-time equaliser that preserved Sunderland’s unbeaten home record. Even after that, the league leaders nearly stole it at the death, with Dan Ballard producing a heroic block to deny Mikel Merino’s late effort.
Speaking afterwards, Arteta cut a frustrated figure when reflecting on a night he felt slipped away. “Obviously, the last feeling is disappointment and frustration because we wanted the three points, and we have to navigate through a really tough game,” Arteta said.
“We knew that they are very disruptive. We have to deal with situations obviously that are difficult to deal with. They do it really well and we conceded a goal that is not in our standards. But after that, I think the team reacted really well, showed a lot of personality and courage. They scored the first goal, they scored the second goal and we totally dominated the game.
“You have to rely on defending the box when they start to commit six or seven players there. It can be from a direct play, it can be from a throw-in, it can be from any situation. We can defend the action better, and today we haven't done it; we conceded the goal.
“And in the last minutes we have another massive chance with Ricky and Mikel to win, which I think we deserve to do. But it didn't happen, but I think it shows what we've done in the last ten games. Winning them in the manner that we've done it, with clean sheets, missing seven players in the front line. So it shows you how difficult it is.”
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