Why Arsenal’s draw with Sunderland isn’t a disaster despite Man City’s win
Arsenal’s outstanding winning run ended in spectacular fashion on Saturday as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sunderland after the Black Cats leveled things up in injury time.
The manner in which the tie was leveled greatly increased the feeling of sadness among the fans because, let’s be honest, there’s not much worse in football than conceding in injury time.
While Mikel Arteta’s side remain at the top of the table, things got worse a day later when Manchester City beat Liverpool in rather convincing fashion, winning 3-0 at the Etihad. In a match between two of their main title rivals, a draw would have been the most beneficial outcome for Arsenal, but their lead at the summit was reduced to just four points.
With the international break looming, Gunners fans will have two weeks to think about their team’s title hopes and there will likely be plenty of panic among fans. However, things are still looking good for Arsenal and their draw at Sunderland isn’t completely disastrous.
Why Arsenal’s Sunderland draw isn’t a disaster despite Man City winning
Drawing only your second game 11 games into the season isn’t a disaster, especially when you’re leading the league. This is fortunately the case for Arsenal as they still maintain a four-point advantage over second-placed City despite the last weekend of football not going their way.
Conceding the equalizer in stoppage time to abruptly end a run of five wins (10 in all competitions) in the league will always feel like a defeat, but taking a point in a match where they were well faced by their opponents on a difficult pitch is not a bad result.
City securing a dominant victory over Liverpool did no favors by moving a little closer to the Gunners at the top. Regardless of the failure to beat Sunderland and City coming close, the draw in the North East is not a disaster, but simply a bump in the road.
A trip to the Stadium of Light was always going to be difficult for Arsenal and it’s safe to say that as they aimed to continue their 10-match winning streak, it looked like there was bound to be a small mistake sooner rather than later.
There is no shame in being held in check by the Black Cats. Since gaining promotion last season, they have lost just twice on their return to the Premier League and are yet to lose at home, taking 11 points from five games on home turf before meeting the Gunners.
Arteta’s side were well faced by Sunderland on the day and the end result certainly reflected the performance put in by both teams. It could have been much worse, because if they were initially behind, they could have left.
A draw against a team in good form and performing well that day is far from a disaster. Arsenal’s previous form prevented this from being a moment of complete collapse. It’s possible that the impasse will be such, but if the Gunners manage to bounce back from the international break and maintain their lead at the top, it will quickly be forgotten.