Arsenal are still the only side in the Premier League with a perfect record, and they earned this one the hard way. Sunderland were awkward, physical and well backed on Saturday night, yet Mikel Arteta's team left the Stadium of Light with a 2-0 win, a fourth clean sheet of sorts, and a manager who spent his post-match interview talking about the referee rather than the result.
Guimaraes Breaks It Open
For 45 minutes there was almost nothing in it. Sunderland sat compact, squeezed the space between their lines and forced Arsenal into the kind of sideways passing that gets a crowd going. Then Bruno Guimaraes arrived in the box after the break and the shape of the night changed. One goal was enough to pull Sunderland out of their block, and once they came forward Arsenal had the room they had been missing all half.
Bukayo Saka settled it late from the penalty spot. Two goals, two very different types: one a midfielder's reward for arriving on time, the other the calm of a player who has taken these in far bigger games.
Raya Kept the Sheet Clean
The scoreline flatters Arsenal slightly. David Raya had proper work to do, and Sunderland created enough at 0-0 to have made the second half far more anxious than it turned out. That is the part Arteta will quietly enjoy. Last season's Arsenal won the league by winning matches like this, where the football is scrappy and the away end is nervous, rather than by the 4-0 afternoons everyone remembers.
Arteta's Complaint
"Today the game was unprotected," Arteta said afterwards, unhappy with how much Sunderland were allowed to get away with physically. Managers say this when they win as often as when they lose, and it rarely changes anything, but it tells you something about how the night felt from the touchline. Arsenal took a beating in the duels and still got through it.
Sunderland go again with credit and no points. Arsenal go top and stay there.
Match facts: Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal, Premier League, Stadium of Light, Saturday 12 September 2026. Scorers: Bruno Guimaraes (second half), Bukayo Saka (penalty, late). Arsenal have won all four league games this season.
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