Arsenal went to the Stadium of Light chasing an eleventh straight win and a ninth straight clean sheet. They left with a 2-2 draw and a reminder that the Premier League never gives anyone a quiet night. Sunderland led at the break through former Hale End defender Dan Ballard, Arsenal flipped the match with goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, then Brobbey’s acrobatic finish in the 94th minute made it 2-2.
The match had two clear faces. The first half never settled, with frequent stoppages and little flow. The second belonged largely to Arsenal, who pushed Sunderland deep and generated the chances that usually finish the job. The key details sat around restarts, duels in the box, and late-game management. Here are the three things we learned.
### Direct balls and restarts cracked Arsenal’s control
Arsenal carried the territorial and possession edge for long stretches. Field tilt sat at 75.8% to the visitors, possession at 65.6%. Expected goals from open play backed that up, with Arsenal generating a little over two xG and Sunderland well under one. The momentum and xG timelines showed Arsenal climbing after the interval, with the larger cumulative staircase on the away side. On paper, that profile usually ends in a win.
The scoreline said otherwise because Sunderland turned the match on two high, simple deliveries that created chaos in Arsenal’s area. Ballard scored after a high delivery wasn’t cleared at the first contact. Nordi Mukiele won the first header, Ballard stayed alive to the second, and the finish was emphatic. Sunderland’s late goal came from another direct ball into the box. Ballard rose again, redirected, and Brobbey beat both centre-back and goalkeeper to the bounce for 2-2.
That was the plan: break up passing chains and turn the game into aerial duels. Sunderland were ready for a night of first and second balls, and they committed numbers to the landing zone. The flurry of stoppages in the first half fed that plan. The game stayed fragmented, with little sustained flow before the interval. When matches break into fragments, set-piece habits and box discipline decide outcomes.
What can Arsenal take from this? Three practical fixes.
* **Earlier triggers for claiming or clearing.** When the ball is dropping inside the six, goalkeeper and nearest centre-back cannot share the same space. One attacks the bounce, one covers the rebound or screen. A loud call, one step earlier, stops the scramble that created both Sunderland goals.
* **Body shape on second balls.** The first contact will not always be clean. The next action matters. Defenders nearest the duel should open their hips to the central channel, not the touchline, to face the knockdown. That small adjustment cuts off the clean strike Ballard found and the stab Brobbey produced.
* **Foul discipline in their own half.** Sunderland wanted dead balls and launches. Reducing cheap free kicks between the halfway line and the Arsenal box removes the platform for those crowded duels. That does not mean passive defending. It means tackling on the ball side and delaying without a nudge in areas where the delivery is easy.
The lesson is not that Arsenal were overrun. They were not. It is that single-route attacks can still break a game that you otherwise own, if box management slips for two or three actions. Long seasons swing on brief, low-chance stretches like this.
### Saka, Trossard and Rice carried the end product
Arsenal’s equaliser was a textbook chain. Declan Rice won the ball from Enzo Le Fée in Sunderland’s half. Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino combined quickly. Saka timed the run and finished across the keeper. It came six minutes into the second half and reset both the score and the pulse of the match. After that, Arsenal produced wave after wave, with Martín Zubimendi crashing the bar and Eze forcing saves.
The second goal belonged to Trossard. Riccardo Calafiori’s high, aggressive positioning stretched Sunderland’s right. Trossard used that space to receive, pause, shift, and strike high into the far corner from the edge of the area. It was his first Premier League goal for Arsenal from outside the area, a reminder that he can solve compact blocks with a shot rather than another pass. That trait has bailed out tight matches before and will do so again.
A few player notes from the two key scorers and the trigger behind them:
* **Bukayo Saka.** The captain’s influence spiked after the interval. He had missed a left-foot chance minutes earlier, then switched to his right for the equaliser. Beyond the goal, his repeated carries into the right half-space forced Sunderland’s back line to retreat rather than squeeze. That created one-on-one lanes for overlaps and cutbacks and added a steady stream of touches in the box across the half.
* **Leandro Trossard.** Decision speed was the difference. He did not need to beat two defenders on the dribble; he needed one touch to find the strike window. The Belgian picks spots early, which suits matches that need a quick shot rather than an extra combination. When Arsenal lack a classic centre-forward, Trossard gives a finishing profile from the wing that keeps defenders honest.
* **Declan Rice.** The match pivoted on his theft for 1-1. Sunderland’s plan shortened the field into aerial fights, but the moment the ball hit the ground Rice tilted it back. He set the tempo for the second half by stepping higher, pinning Sunderland into their third, and feeding the left side repeatedly. The long-range chip at 90’ was inches wide and not a bad choice. The keeper was outside his six, the legs were heavy, and the attempt killed thirty seconds and a counterspring if it misses the target.
Selection also mattered. Eze gave Arsenal a carrier who could link midfield to box and act as a pressure valve when play got ragged. He lacked effective timing on one key chance, but his role in the equaliser showed why that profile works when the squad is thin up front.
One critique of the performance sits with the substitutes. Arsenal made only one change, and it came in the 88th minute. Tired legs defend high balls badly. Bringing on fresh height or aerial presence at 85’ can tilt one more duel and clear one more delivery. The bench was short of senior attackers, but it did include senior defenders who win headers for a living. That option should be live in future matches of this type.
### The bigger picture: late-game management and the reality of a stretched squad
The unbeaten run across competitions, the eight-match clean-sheet streak, the jump in points at the top of the table — all of that still stands. A draw away to an organised, physical side does not rewrite Arsenal’s arc. It does, though, sharpen the focus on two season-level themes.
#### Late goals at both ends decide margins.
Sunderland now lead the league in 90th-minute goals this season. Three of those have changed a result. Arsenal conceded a result-changing 90th-minute goal for the first time since September of last season. Both facts tell the story here. Tired minds meet tired legs in stoppage time. Teams that attack long throws and second balls to the last action take points. Teams that clear cleanly hold them. Small, repeatable habits secure those margins: time management on set plays, a spare player screen in front of the six-yard line, and a pre-agreed call on who attacks the first contact.
#### Squad stretch is real, and it shapes choices.
Arsenal travelled without Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres and more. That left Mikel Arteta with one senior line-breaking receiver up top, two senior wingers, and a bench heavy on youth or defenders. Over more than 100 minutes, he used one sub. A coach can trust his starters and still introduce energy for the final five minutes. Protecting a lead can be proactive. An extra defender to crowd the six, or a fresh runner to press the first ball, is not a concession. It is management.
#### The international break arrives at a useful moment.
Several attackers are projected to return after it. Rest and a deeper bench should re-open late-game options and reduce the risk that a single direct delivery flips a result. The north London derby looms next. Spurs will offer a different test, but the lesson is portable: defend your box on the first action and the second, communicate early, and do not invite restarts where the opponent wants them.
#### Title context.
Arsenal’s profile still looks strong: best defensive record before Sunderland, one loss in all competitions, clear lead in points even after the draw. Nights like this separate champions from contenders not by points alone but by how quickly the correction arrives. The fix is straightforward. Rehearse end-of-game set-piece and long-ball phases this week. Pick a stopper to attack the first contact, pick a partner to screen the striker, and give Raya a clear call for every dropping ball in the six. Then carry that clarity into the derby.
### Conclusion
This match produced more teaching film than panic. Arsenal owned the second half, created the better chances, and scored two good goals. They also conceded twice from actions that can be cleaned up with sharper communication and a touch of rotation late on. Sunderland’s plan was clear. Stretch the game into collisions, hunt second balls, and keep bringing bodies to the drop. It worked twice. Arsenal still nearly won it through Merino at the end, stopped only by a superb Ballard block.
Three things stand out. Direct deliveries can still undo a control game, so the box needs clear roles and louder voices. Saka, Trossard, and Rice carry the decisive actions even when the attack is patched together, which keeps Arsenal in position to win nights like this. The squad needs a little more help in the final minutes when legs fade and the ball is arriving aerially every thirty seconds. That help is on the way with returning attackers, and the staff can add a small, practical tweak to the late-game substitution plan.
Matches like Sunderland away never define a season on their own. They show where the next marginal gain sits. Arsenal have spent two months stacking clean sheets and points without a full forward line. They now carry a draw that stung in the moment but reads like a warning light rather than a red flag. Fix the set-piece and long-ball phase, use the bench to close games, and keep the Saka-Trossard end product front and centre. The next block of fixtures will move fast. Go into it with the lessons from this night filed and ready.