Arsenal’s 10-match winning streak came to a dramatic end as Brian Brobbey struck deep into stoppage time to earn Sunderland a 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Saturday, while Manchester United salvaged a last-minute equaliser in a 2-2 thriller at Tottenham. At the Stadium of Light, former Arsenal defender Dan Ballard gave Sunderland the lead in the 36th minute with a powerful finish, ending the Gunners’ run of eight consecutive clean sheets in all competitions. Bukayo Saka brought Arsenal level nine minutes into the second half with a calm finish, and Leandro Trossard’s strike from the edge of the area in the 74th minute seemed to have secured another victory for Mikel Arteta’s side. But in the fourth minute of added time, Brobbey pounced on Ballard’s header to snatch a point for the hosts.
Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey scores his side’s late equalizer against Arsenal in the Premier League. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
It was Arsenal’s first game without a win since their 1-1 draw with Manchester City in September, though they remain six points clear of second-placed Chelsea, who beat Wolves 3-0 earlier in the day. City could trim the gap to four points with a win over Liverpool on Sunday. “We conceded two similar goals, which is not good enough for ourselves,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “But it’s true that we showed an incredible resilience and courage to come back. Even at the end after we conceded the goal we had a massive chance to win it.” At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Manchester United were forced to settle for a draw after a dramatic finish. Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring for United in the 32nd minute, silencing the home crowd as frustration grew among Tottenham supporters. Spurred by late momentum, Tottenham levelled through Mathys Tel in the 84th minute before Richarlison’s deflection off a Wilson Odobert shot put them 2-1 ahead in stoppage time. But Matthijs de Ligt rescued United with a towering header in the 96th minute, extending their unbeaten run to five matches.
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“We have so much to grow as a team because today was our day to win,” United manager Ruben Amorim said. “If we have a little bit more bravery, we can kill this game.” Tottenham manager Thomas Frank admitted his side fell short defensively, saying, “A lot of things we could have done a bit better. The last goal is all about the urgency, maybe don’t give the cross away and defend better.”
