Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland: Gyokeres makes a big impact off the bench

Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video

Arsenal moved 9 factors forward of Man Metropolis, maybe simply briefly, after a 3-0 win over Sunderland yesterday.

Mikel Arteta introduced Riccardo Calafiori again into the crew at left-back, Kai Havertz began in midfield, and Gabriel Jesus acquired the nod up entrance. There was good early probability when Havertz headed a Leandro Trossard cross huge, and a little bit of a scare in our field when David Raya got here to assert, fumbled it, and Brian Brobbey’s effort was cleared away by the German.

Sunderland acquired males behind the ball when out of possession, however they didn’t come to park the bus. They got here to play a bit too, and so they made it actually robust for us. Declan Rice curled an effort simply huge across the half hour mark with the keeper overwhelmed all finally ends up, and Brobbey went into the e-book for a foul on Martin Zubimendi which appeared prefer it may need had the potential to be worse. Each gamers went for the ball, Zubi acquired there first and the Sunderland man’s studs made contact with the shin, however I believe what saved him (and Zubimendi) was that it was only a ‘glancing’ blow. It definitely was nothing just like the pink card Christian Romero acquired earlier within the day.

Simply two minutes later although, the Spanish worldwide fired us forward. Trossard drew the eye of two defenders, laid it again to Zubimendi exterior the field, and his low, sliced effort hit the underside of 1 publish earlier than ricocheting into the facet netting on the far facet. It’s one other glorious end from the summer season signing, who now has 6 targets in all competitions, and has introduced essential added risk from a place final season that provided little or no of that. His rendition of the Mikel Merino nook flag celebration was a pleasant second too, a nod to his teammate who appears set to overlook the remainder of the season by harm.

It may need been extra on the break if Havertz’s run and shot had curled in fairly than simply huge, and it appeared as if Jesus would possibly add to the lead too, however he was known as offside when he ran by on aim. A little bit of a fortunate escape for Sunderland there, as there was a reasonably apparent foul which might have resulted in a penalty and a pink card.

The guests weren’t content material to only sit again and provide nothing, like some groups who’ve come to our place of late. Early within the second half Raya needed to make a very good save and there was some hesitation earlier than Gabriel cleared; we would have liked Gabriel once more to make a very good deal with within the field; Zubimendi learn hazard in our space once more and acquired throughout to clear; and it was clear they weren’t going to only lie down.

We would have liked to vary one thing, so Arteta introduced on Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres for Noni Madueke and Jesus who had struggled to make any actual influence, and inside a couple of minutes that had paid dividends. Trossard, who I believed was glorious in each halves yesterday, saved tormenting them on the left, finally discovering a very good cross to Havertz who laid it again to Gyokeres. The Swede took a contact, appeared to slide a bit, however nonetheless discovered a technique to crack a robust shot past the keeper regardless of him getting a contact on it.

That settled us a bit as effectively, the one aim lead is all the time a bit precarious. Eberechi Eze got here on for a constructive cameo and nearly scored together with his left foot after Rice discovered him simply contained in the field. Principally although, we simply managed the final 10-Quarter-hour with intervals of possession, reminding me of when Arteta spoke about wanting his crew to handle constructive scorelines with ‘300,000’ passes.

The third aim got here when substitute Christian Norgaard cleared a hopeful Sunderland punt in direction of our penalty space, Martinelli raced on it, and past the defender, drove into the field and squared for Gyokeres to faucet residence his second to make it 3-0. He did his trademark celebration whereas mendacity on the bottom, whereas Martinelli stood above him doing his weirdly endearing Pan’s Labyrinth model.

Can we additionally simply point out the stunning problem on Gyokeres as he was about to attain? For me it’s far, far worse than Brobbey’s within the first half. That was, a minimum of, an try and go for the ball and he was only a fraction gradual as compared with Zubimendi. This was a man leaping by the air with no intent of enjoying the ball, and the Arsenal striker is fortunate he seems to be made of sturdy stuff as a result of that might have ended badly. I do know he scored, however that doesn’t mitigate how unhealthy that problem was and that defender is fortunate to not have been despatched off, for my part.

So, very like the Havertz aim in midweek, this added a pleasant cherry on high of what was a very skilled show from the Gunners. Sunderland made it robust, we coped with that, scored three targets, saved one other clear sheet, and put the strain on Metropolis forward of their recreation towards the Mugsmashers as we speak. Afterwards, Mikel Arteta mentioned:

Very glad clearly with the win, with massive elements of the efficiency, with the clear sheet as effectively, as a result of it’s a very robust opponent. They’re actually good at what they do, actually good at breaking play, enjoying to the final line, breaking your press, holding the ball, and it’s very troublesome to get sequences with risk and momentum consecutively.

And I favored his reply when requested what the 9 level hole means:

Nothing, we nonetheless need to win so many video games to realize what we would like. So, there’s no concentrate on that, that’s one thing else. We’ve finished our job now, we’ve had what we have now to do, so I assess that, attempt to enhance it and prepare for Brentford.

I actually assume that’s the one approach to have a look at it from the angle of supervisor and gamers. Clearly it’s a pleasant place to be in, however should you begin excited about something apart from profitable the following recreation, there’s an opportunity you lose focus. If we all know something about this supervisor, it’s that he is not going to permit something like that till, fingers crossed, we recover from the road.

I additionally thought he was fairly fascinating on Gyokeres, when requested about how he’s coped with the highs and lows of his debut season in pink and white:

Yeah, with Viktor, if you have a look at him, it’s very obscure his emotion as a result of he appears straight at you and also you don’t actually know! However he doesn’t appear too affected by whether or not there are actually highs or lows and that’s what we want, the steadiness. He’s very demanding of himself, he’s consistently making an attempt to enhance and that’s actually, actually good.

He now has 6 targets and a couple of assists in his final 8 video games, by a long way the most effective run of type he’s loved since he joined. Perhaps it’s a pleasant purple patch that you can say was overdue; possibly he’s growing higher understandings of his teammates and vice-versa; possibly it’s responding to the competitors that Jesus and Havertz have introduced in current weeks; however no matter it’s, I hope he continues on this vein, as a result of he had a big effect off the bench yesterday, and if that continues to construct his confidence, then finally the crew advantages.

All in all, a strong day’s work, and we are able to look to Anfield this afternoon and hope Liverpool can do us a favour. After that, there’s a midweek schedule which sees us play final, so we have now time to organize but additionally, maybe, cope with that hole being nearer than it’s now. So it goes in a Premier League title race.

Proper, that’s it for this morning. Have an excellent Sunday of us, again right here tomorrow with extra and an Arsecast Further. Till then.