Gyökeres Double Keeps Arsenal On Title Track In Comfortable Win Over Sunderland

There are times erstwhile nan champion point for a broadside is an uneventful win. Titles are won little successful nan large set-piece games than against mid-table sides successful nan easy forgotten circumstances of a Saturday afternoon. Arsenal weren’t superb against Sunderland, but they were bully capable to triumph comfortably, and that increases their lead astatine nan apical of nan array to 9 points, adding a grade of other unit to Manchester City’s Sunday sojourn to Liverpool.

In a way, this was nan platonic perfect of Mikel Arteta’s football. Not a immense magnitude happened but astir of what did was successful aliases astir nan Sunderland box. It was bitty, stop-start, built astir set-plays and devoid of overmuch successful nan measurement of imagination aliases spontaneity. Coaches obsessed by pressing patterns astir apt loved it, but it will not unrecorded agelong successful nan wider corporate memory. For a agelong clip nan crippled seemed successful threat of being mutually respected retired of existence, some teams watching, probing warily, moreover if successful nan extremity Arsenal’s probing proved acold much dangerous.

For a agelong clip location were only flickers, splutters and glimmers of Arsenal intent. Kai Havertz, preferred to Viktor Gyökeres, headed a decent chance wide successful nan first minute. Trai Hume sliced a Noni Madueke transverse complete his ain bar. Declan Rice slashed a thrust a fraction wide. Things happened without overmuch consciousness of shape aliases flow. There was nary of that consciousness of remorseless compression that location had been astatine Leeds past week, aliases moreover astatine location to Manchester United nan week earlier – and for that Sunderland must return credit.

Martín Zubimendi (left) fires location nan opening extremity astatine nan Emirates. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

But a extremity came nevertheless earlier half-time, acknowledgment mostly to a uncommon infinitesimal of sloppiness from Omar Alderete. The Paraguay world was caught successful possession by Madueke and, arsenic Arsenal worked it to nan different broadside of nan pitch, Sunderland struggled to get set, leaving Martín Zubimendi successful abstraction arsenic Leandro Trossard rolled nan shot into his path. His changeable had conscionable capable portion to arc successful disconnected nan wrong of nan post.

Arsenal’s second, midway done nan 2nd half, came from a not dissimilar source. This clip it was Nordi Mukiele squandering possession but again Trossard was key, playing successful Havertz, whose quadrate shot was squirted successful by a falling Gyökeres, who had travel disconnected nan bench. But that is what Arsenal are bully at: they clasp opponents astatine arm’s length, stifle them arsenic an attacking threat, unit them into errors and past capitalise. The third, besides scored by Gyökeres, stemmed from a Reinildo misjudgment and an injury-time breakaway by Gabriel Martinelli erstwhile nan crippled was done.

With an ankle wounded denying Granit Xhaka a return to nan Emirates, Sunderland were unchanged from Monday’s emphatic triumph complete Burnley. Xhaka’s absence had been a awesome facet successful nan conclusion astatine West Ham a fortnight ago, but Sunderland were acold amended present moreover if they ne'er looked for illustration winning. They person not won distant successful nan Premier League since beating Chelsea successful October and while cipher astatine nan Stadium of Light is complaining astir a run successful which they person efficaciously secured information pinch a 3rd of nan play still to go, distant shape is an evident area successful which they could improve.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya struggles to woody pinch a Sunderland cross. Photograph: Kieran McManus/Shutterstock

The evident problem is simply a deficiency of extremity threat, their six goals distant from location amended only than Wolves successful nan apical flight. They offered very small beyond nonstop balls up to nan combative Brian Brobbey, who occasionally looked for illustration he mightiness nexus up pinch Habib Diarra breaking from midfield without ever really doing so.

Although they occasionally threatened to get down Arsenal early successful nan 2nd half, their only existent chance came from nan predictable root of a group play, Hume thumping a free-kick into nan box, wherever David Raya fumbled nether unit from Dan Ballard and Brobbey scuffed an awkward chance from nan dropping ball.

So Arsenal rotation on. None of their challengers could return advantage of their caller twelvemonth wobble successful which they leaked 7 points successful 3 games. Whatever doubts mightiness person begun to crystalise past look to person dissolved and, while they will person harder games, nan quality of their tie astatine nan Stadium of Light meant this was 1 of their remaining fixtures that appeared arsenic a imaginable pitfall. It’s 1 much situation ticked disconnected arsenic they separator person to nan decorativeness line. If City gaffe up astatine Anfield, that statement will look a batch person travel Sunday evening.