Bruno Guimaraes scored a stunning goal two minutes after David Raya 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 ahead when Ezri Konsa was penalized for holding down Dan Ballard in the second half, but Raya brilliantly flicked Enzo Le Fee’s spot-kick onto the post.
Just 121 seconds later, Guimaraes, whose every touch was reviled by the home fans because of his Newcastle links, smashed a stunning strike onto the underside of the crossbar from outside the Sunderland area 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 scoreline safe when Bukayo Saka scored a stoppage-time penalty after Reinildo Mandava was shown a second yellow card for his dismissal.
The win, Arsenal’s fourth in a row in the Premier League and sixth in all competitions, maintains their strong start to the season and puts the champions three points clear of Manchester City, who face Manchester United directly. Sky Sports on sunday.
For Sunderland, the defeat was made all the more painful by the identity of the opener, which came so soon after they appeared ready to strike first from the spot. They remain on four points, the latest team to be dispatched by Mikel Arteta’s men.
Key moments
- 13: CHANCE! Saka fails to connect properly with Rice’s overhead kick and misses a great chance to open the scoring
- 16: DANGER! A poor free-kick from Xhaka is met by Dan Ballard but he can’t quite guide his effort on goal
- 31: THE FINISH! Odegaard cuts the ball back to Havertz after a tricky build-up, but the Arsenal striker fires over.
- 33: SAVE IT! Roefs tips an acrobatic effort from Havertz onto the bar as Sunderland continue to hold firm
- 56: PENALTY SAVED! Raya dives down the left and brilliantly saves Le Fee’s low penalty
- 58: GOAL! Guimaraes directs a stunning finish into the top corner to silence the Sunderland fans
- 85: SAVE IT! Raya to the rescue again for Arsenal as he saves Mukiele’s effort from close range
- 90+7: GOAL! Saka’s penalty goes past Robin Roefs after Reinildo’s red card to pull him down.
Guimaraes: A beautiful moment for me
of Arsenal Bruno Guimaraes for TNT Sports: “It’s incredible, I feel so good.
“Everyone knows I’ve had a difficult start with injuries in a short time, but I’m happy 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 a great story at Newcastle but now I’m trying to create a new story here and I’ve started in the right way.”
What does the result mean and the next matches…
