Raya Penalty Save and Guimaraes Goal Seal Arsenal Win at Sunderland
Arsenal made it six straight wins in all competitions by beating Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light, with David Raya saving a second-half penalty before Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka struck.
What we know
- Raya denied Enzo Le Fee from the spot, saving the penalty 121 seconds before Guimaraes scored his first Arsenal goal with a curling effort from 20 yards.
- Saka sealed the result from the penalty spot in stoppage time after Sunderland defender Reinildo Mandava was sent off for a second booking.
- The win kept Arsenal’s unbeaten, perfect opening run intact and delivered another clean sheet.
- Raya is the only Premier League goalkeeper to have stopped a penalty this season.
- Mikel Arteta was furious with referee John Brooks over the penalty awarded for a clash involving Ezri Konsa and Dan Ballard. The Arsenal boss said the decision was “unacceptable” and insisted it could have altered both the match and the wider season.
- Arteta also questioned the VAR intervention, saying Konsa had done nothing wrong and that officials must do more to protect the game.
Next step
Arsenal go to Ipswich Town for their Carabao Cup third-round tie, with Arteta demanding his squad keep their focus through a busy run of fixtures. Sunderland, 14th in the table, turn quickly to Europe and host Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in their Europa League opener in midweek.
