Arsenal’s remarkable defensive run finally came to an end as Brian Brobbey’s stoppage-time equaliser earned Sunderland a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, halting the Premier League leaders’ ten-match winning streak in all competitions.
Mikel Arteta’s side had gone 881 minutes without conceding, one of the longest defensive records in recent English football history, before former Arsenal academy player Danny Ballard fired the hosts ahead in the 36th minute. The goal ended Arsenal’s nine-game clean sheet streak and gave the newly promoted Black Cats hope of an upset.
The Gunners regrouped after halftime, with Bukayo Saka equalising shortly after the restart before Leandro Trossard turned the match around, putting Arsenal 2-1 up and seemingly on course for another hard-fought win.
However, Sunderland refused to back down, and deep into stoppage time, Brobbey reacted quickest to a flick-on, bundling the ball past David Raya and Gabriel to spark wild celebrations among the home fans.
The result cuts Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to seven points ahead of Manchester City, who face Liverpool on Sunday, potentially reigniting the Premier League title race.
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