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LATE SHOCK: SUNDERLAND’S STOPPAGE-TIME GOAL STUNS ARSENAL IN 2-2 CLASH

Arsenal were robbed of a win as Brian Brobbey's late equaliser secured a 2-2 draw for Sunderland. Read how the Gunners' 811-minute defensive run ended, and how Saka & Trossard's goals were cancelled out.

Late shock: Sunderland’s stoppage-time goal stuns Arsenal in 2-2 clash
Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs (left) makes a save during the Premier League match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland. Picture date: Saturday, November 8, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.

In a thrilling contest at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland struck a thrilling equaliser far into the second half, extra time to keep Arsenal from taking a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Although the Gunners were behind 1-0 at halftime due to a goal from Dan Ballard, goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard in the second half appeared to have given them all three points. But, in front of their own supporters, Sunderland earned a well-earned point when Brian Brobbey slipped in ahead of David Raya to tie it 2-2 in the fourth minute of extra time.

After some unusually subpar defending by the Gunners, a calm first half was finally brought to life in the 36th minute when former Arsenal youngster Ballard scored the scoring.

After Arsenal's defence failed to handle the high ball during a long punt downfield, Nordi Mukiele's header landed at Ballard's feet, where it smashed past Raya. Surprisingly, it was the Northern Irishman's first goal for Sunderland that did not come from a header, although it was his eighth overall.

Above all, it demonstrated that Arsenal's defence was not unbeatable. They had gone an incredible 811 minutes without a team scoring, and it was the first goal they had given up in a competitive game since their meeting against Newcastle on September 28. Additionally, it was only the fourth time in 11 Premier League games in 2025–2026 that Mikel Arteta's team had given up.

It was only the third occasion this season that Arsenal had fallen behind at the half of a Premier League game, with Sunderland leading 1-0. They have bounced back to win four points in the last two games (beating Newcastle and drawing with Man City). Today, they repeated the action.

Arsenal regained the lead less than nine minutes into the second half. Before Declan Rice robbed him, Enzo Le Fée sat on the ball within his own half. Saka scored his third goal in his last four competitive games, a few seconds later after putting the ball in the Sunderland net and shooting past Robin Roefs at his near post.

As the table-toppers kept applying pressure, Martín Zubimendi had a chance to give Arsenal the lead in the 65th minute, but his volley struck the crossbar before his teammates could recover.

The more dependable Trossard sealed a comeback in the 74th minute with a fantastic goal from the edge of the area. After circling about, the Belgian finally found a moment to shoot, and his forceful shot soared past Roefs. Trossard rarely scores goals from a distance, and this was his first outside-the-box Premier League goal in nearly four years. It also put an end to a run of 33 league goals from within the area.

In the closing moments of the match, Brian Brobbey twice had chances to tie the score, but Raya's two excellent close-range saves kept the Gunners ahead. However, Brobbey made no mistakes with his third opportunity of the game, just as it appeared that Arsenal would go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League standings.

The Dutch substitute snuck in ahead of Raya to acrobatically turn the ball into the Gunners' net and score his first goal for Sunderland after Arsenal's defence once again failed to stop a ball that fell in their box.

Ballard's outstanding defending stopped Mikel Merino from scoring the game-winning goal in the seventh minute of extra time, as the defender threw his body in front of the Spanish forward's strong strike.

Although the Gunners will be sad that they lost the match, a draw was perhaps the right outcome and demonstrated how fiercely contested the Premier League is this year, with a newly promoted team facing the league's top contenders.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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