Report: Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland (inc goals)

Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Campbell, Ozil, Giroud

Subs: Ospina, Chambers, Gibbs, Debuchy, Gabriel, Walcott, Iwobi

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Arsenal got back to winning ways, running out 3-1 winners against Sunderland at the Emirates today, but it would be fair to say the scoreline wasn’t really reflective of the game of the Gunners performance.

Injuries meant changes with Joel Campbell and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming into the team, on the right and left respectively, and Aaron Ramsey deployed in his favoured central midfield position.

With Manchester City losing to Stoke the chance was there for Arsenal to make up some ground, but it was the visitors who had the first clear sight of goal as early as the 4th minute. Fabio Borini found himself clean through with just Petr Cech to beat but he hit his shot straight at the Arsenal keeper who saved with ease.

Aaron Ramsey’s response was to fizz a shot just wide of the Sunderland post with Pantilimon beaten all ends up, before Duncan Watmore headed over the crossbar as Sunderland’s bright start to the game continued. The Gunners had Cech to thank again as he pushed a Flamini block in his own box around the post, and it was anything but the assured performance Arsenal fans wanted to see.

The game settled down a bit then, Arsenal looked to get crosses into Olivier Giroud but with the Frenchman up against three central defenders it really didn’t seem like the best course of action. The worries at the back continued with Bellerin and Mertesacker forced into last ditch challenges to prevent goalscoring chances, the protection from the midfield was basically non-existent.

It was worrying, but then Arsenal burst into life and got the opening goal in the 345th minute. Giroud held the ball up well, laid it off to Ozil, who spotted the run of Campbell inside the full back. The German played a perfect ball in behind the Sunderland defence and the Costa Rican finished first time low into the net. 1-0.

After going ahead against West Brom and Norwich but failing to take the lead into the break, the challenge was for Arsenal to keep a clean sheet in the first 45 minutes. They looked to be on their way but when Koscielny conceded a free kick out wide, getting a yellow card in the process, Sunderland got back on level terms.

The ball was whipped low into the box, through a crowd of players, Giroud tried to clear but just deflected it into the top corner. 1-1.

There was a chance for Arsenal to go ahead just before the break when Nacho Monreal set up Ramsey, but the Welshman saw his effort clip the outside of the post, meaning the teams went in level and yet again Arsene Wenger’s side had let a lead slip.

There were no changes at the break from either side, and the pattern of the game remained much the same. Pedestrian football from Arsenal, with a real lack of craft and pace, while the visitors looked to exploit space on the break – Bellerin lucky to escape a yellow card for a pull back of Watmore’s shirt.

Anything good that did happen involved Ozil, and he combined well with Campbell to play Ramsey in behind but the Welshman was flagged offside, but Cech was called upon again to keep Arsenal in the game saving from Fletcher in the 57th minute. The Czech international then outdid himself from the resulting corner. After the ball came in, it was flicked on to the back post, Fletcher got there ahead of Mertesacker but Cech made a big stop on the line to stop them going ahead.

Sam Allardyce will have rued those misses because minutes later Arsenal were ahead again. An injection of pace into the build-up saw Monreal drive forward, he played it to Ramsey who clipped a cross into the box. Giroud, making up for the own goal in the first half, timed his run brilliantly, stopping and craning his neck to head home for 2-1.

The Frenchman then saw a header cleared off the line, and Arsene Wenger made his first change with Theo Walcott returning from injury to take the place of Oxlade-Chamberlain. It added some temporary zip to Arsenal’s game, but Sunderland again found themselves clean through on goal, thankfully Watmore’s shot was tame and straight at Cech.

Kieran Gibbs then came on to replace Campbell in the 76th minute, and Calum Chambers for the goalscorer Giroud in the 80th minute. Mesut Ozil pulled off one of the great flicks, before being fouled, and the final stages of the game were tense as Sunderland looked for an equaliser and Arsenal looked to hang on.

The goal we all feared almost came when Patrick Van Aanholt got in behind Bellerin, but his shot from the same position Joel Campbell scored from fizzed just inches over the bar. Ozil then set up Ramsey, his shot going straight at the keeper when he might have played it to a man outside him, as the game moved into 5 minutes of injury time.

But with just seconds left on the clock, Ramsey got on the of a deflected Chambers shot to make it 3-1 and to ensure the three points stayed in North London. 3-1.

Not a great performance, but three very valuable points.