Last gasp: Sunderland striker Darren Bent scored deep into stoppage time to earn the home side a point Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Alex Song - Alex Song is shown the red card by Phil Dowd
Seeing red: Arsenal's Alex Song is sent off for a second bookable offence by referee Phil Dowd after a block on Steed Malbranque Photo: PA
Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas pulls up after scoring a goal
Pleasure/pain: Cesc Fabregas feels a twinge after scoring the opener for Arsenal - to the obvious concern of team-mate Samir Nasri Photo: ACTION IMAGES
Tomas Rosicky - Tomas Rosicky misses a penalty for Arsenal
Spot of bother: Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky wasted a glorious chance to put the game beyond Sunderland after blazing over from the penalty spot Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Darren Bent would regularly sit on Highbury’s North Bank as a youngster. He might not be quite so welcome on his next visit to the Emirates after denying boyhood club Arsenal their place at the summit of the Premier League.
Sunderland have developed an unwanted reputation for shipping late goals under Steve Bruce, but the roles were reversed five minutes into added time as England international Bent pounced from close range after a goalmouth scramble to earn his side a deserved share of the spoils.
The visitors, at a numerical disadvantage for most of the second half after the needless sending off of midfielder Alex Song, appeared to have held on as they came under severe pressure from the hosts, who stretched an impressive home run which has seen them beaten just once at the Stadium of Light in the last 10 months.
A 75th-minute penalty miss by Tomas Rosicky, who sent the ball over from 12 yards after Samir Nasri was tripped by Ahmed Elmohamady, proved to be a pivotal moment.
It provided the hosts with a psychological boost as they eventually found a last-gasp equaliser, much to the chagrin of Arsène Wenger, who seemed to jostle Martin Atkinson, the fourth official, in the wake of Bent’s goal.
Atkinson had indicated four minutes of stoppage time, but Bruce insisted afterwards that referee Phil Dowd was within his rights to play beyond that. “It’s a minimum of four minutes. I think there was about 15 seconds overtime. I certainly didn’t sense any atmosphere between Arsène and Martin Atkinson,” the Sunderland manager said.
Arsenal led courtesy of a freak goal by Cesc Fabregas inside the opening quarter of an hour. At a venue where they had emerged with a single point from their previous two visits, the unexpected gift provided them with a release of pressure and allowed them, at times, to play their sumptuous passing game.
Sunderland, who paid the visitors every respect by opting for a 4-5-1 formation, played their part in a flowing encounter, and posed a significant threat from set-pieces.
From one of those, a Jordan Henderson corner, Nedum Onuoha headed wastefully over the bar when meeting the ball unmarked six yards from goal.
It looked easier to score, and would have proved the perfect riposte to the hugely-fortuitous opener for Arsenal, who were, predictably, unchanged from the side that beat Braga 6-0 in the Champions League.
The visitors took the lead when Fabregas showed the merits of refusing to give up on a seemingly hopeless situation, closing down Anton Ferdinand as the Sunderland defender, barely 15 yards inside his own half, prepared to launch upfield a ball laid back to him by Kieran Richardson.
Ferdinand’s connection was true but Fabregas’s firm block astonishingly ballooned up and over goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, stationed between the penalty spot and six-yard box, and into the empty net.
It proved to be the Spanish midfielder’s last contribution, as he trudged off injured shortly afterwards with a hamstring problem. Following that, Arsenal may have looked the prettier team when in possession, but it was Sunderland’s industry that helped to carve out the better openings.
The clearest opportunity they created, after Onuoha’s glaring miss, was just before the interval when Paraguayan midfielder Cristian Riveros met an inviting centre from Elmohamady just six yards out, but he was unable to direct his header on goal.
Half-time punctured the momentum built up by Bruce’s side, and it showed as Arsenal wasted three decent chances to claim the decisive second goal immediately after the restart.
Andrei Arshavin was the culprit on the first two occasions, from close range and then from the edge of the area, before Mignolet, with his first real save, did well to block at the feet of Marouane Chamakh.
Arsenal’s ambitious were reined in somewhat after the needless departure of Song 10 minutes after the restart for obstructing Steed Malbranque – though the Cameroonian’s departure was rather more due to being brainless than brutal – and they were fortunate to escape when Bent missed from 12 yards out.
But there was still time for the former Tottenham striker to ensure his welcome on his next visit to the Emirates will be a frosty one. Bruce added: “We warranted at least a point for the way we played and the chances we created.”
By Jason Mellor at the Stadium of Light
From telegraph.co.uk
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