Bruno Guimaraes scored a stunning goal two minutes after David Raya had saved a penalty as Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0 to move above Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
The Black Cats had the chance to go in front when Ezri Konsa was penalised for holding Dan Ballard in the second half but Raya brilliantly tipped Enzo Le Fee’s spot kick onto the post.
Just 121 seconds later, Guimaraes, whose every touch had been booed by the home fans due to his Newcastle connections, crashed a stunning strike in off the underside of the crossbar from outside the Sunderland box for his first Arsenal goal.
Arsenal had to withstand late pressure from the home side, with Raya saving well from Nordi Mukiele, but they made the result safe when Bukayo Saka scored a stoppage-time penalty after Reinildo Mandava was shown a second yellow card for hauling him down.
The victory, Arsenal’s fourth in a row in the Premier League and sixth in all competitions, maintains their strong start to the campaign and puts the champions three points above Manchester City, who face Manchester United live on Sky Sports on Sunday.
For Sunderland, the defeat is made all the more painful by the identity of the player who opened the scoring, coming so soon after they appeared poised to strike first from the spot. They remain on four points, the latest side to be dispatched by Mikel Arteta’s men.
The key moments
- 13: CHANCE! Saka fails to connect properly with Rice’s ball over the top and misses a big chance to open the scoring
- 16: DANGER! A wicked free-kick delivery from Xhaka is met by Dan Ballard but he can’t quite steer his effort on target
- 31: OVER! Odegaard cuts the ball back to Havertz after intricate build-up but the Arsenal forward blazes over
- 33: SAVE! Roefs tips an acrobatic effort from Havertz over the bar as Sunderland continue to hold firm
- 56: PENALTY SAVED! Raya leaps to his left and brilliantly saves Le Fee’s low penalty
- 58: GOAL! Guimaraes guides a stunning finish into the top corner to silence the Sunderland fans
- 85: SAVE! Raya to the rescue again for Arsenal as he saves Mukiele’s close-range effort
- 90+7: GOAL! Saka’s penalty squirms past Robin Roefs after Reinildo’s red card for hauling him down
Guimaraes: A beautiful moment for me
Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes to TNT Sports: “It’s unbelievable. I feel very good.
“Everyone knows I had a difficult start with injuries in a short time but I’m glad to be back, to play.
“I scored a beautiful goal. It’s a beautiful moment for me and my family and I’m very happy.
“A beautiful goal in a very good place. Everyone knows my past. I had an amazing history at Newcastle but now I’m trying to create a new history here and I’ve started in the right way.”
Arteta rages at Sunderland penalty call
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to TNT Sports: “It’s a huge win but it could have been something very different.
“You know it what way. In the way that they could have changed the game. You know who.
“I’m so upset. It’s unacceptable. This can change the course of a season, the championship, and it’s not acceptable.
“I’ve seen it 10 times to make sure because I watched it live and I said it’s not possible that it’s going to be a penalty because it’s a judo role, that’s what it is. It cannot happen.
“It’s not a penalty in any case, in any context, in any league.”
