Sunderland 0-0 Arsenal: 5 talking points
A rejuvenated Sunderland side held Arsenal to a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League on Sunday. The Gunners went into the game with the hopes of being the favourites to land the 3rd spot in the table and cement their Champions League qualification for next season. Premier League on Sunday.
Also read: Sunderland 0-0 Arsenal: Player Ratings
But the Black Cats were also in the mood to fight to remain in the top flight. Both sides saw plenty of chances to score but neither managed to do so. The draw leaves Arsenal at the 4th spot tied with Manchester City with 64 points.
Sunderland were the real victors from the game as they come out of the relegation zone with a point to make it 31 points from 34 games, with a better goal difference than Norwich City.
Here are the major talking points from the goal-less game at the Stadium of Light:
A penalty denied to both sides
The game started in typical Arsenal fashion as the Gunners kept the possession and put pressure on the hosts with their attacking play. But Sunderland were not too far behind in the game and broke forward on the counter attacks time and again.
The first half of the game saw both the sides getting enough chances but it was Arsenal who had the better chances to score. In the meantime, both sides also appealed for handball inside the penalty area.
First, it was Per Mertesacker who was caught handling the ball when Jermain Defoe shot at goal, but the German obstructed the shot with his raised arms. Referee Mike Dean did not think it to be a penalty and waved away any appeals.
A similar incident took place minutes later when Alex Iwobi was found by Olivier Giroud’s play inside the box and the young Nigerian’s shot was blocked by DeAndre Yedlin’s arms just in front of the Sunderland goal.
Replays suggested that both the incidents should have been adjudged as penalties and could have altered the result of the game.