Darren Bent kept up his impressive record of having scored against the supposed top four this season. Bent's goals against Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and most recently Arsenal are part of the reason why he was recalled back into the England squad and has already hit nine goals this season.
He may have been the match winner versus the Gunners, but it is the whole team which should be congratulated for putting in a tremendous performance. Every player involved will still probably be aching now after that game, having worked so hard against an Arsenal team who have some amazing players that move around with such pace and zip.
The central midfield trio of captain Lorik Cana, Kieran Richardson and Jordan Henderson battled so strongly in the middle of the park, which is where manager Steve Bruce said afterwards is where the game was won. He was spot on, they challenged for everything and gave their opposition no time on the ball, in particular the Spanish maestro Cesc Fabregas was very quiet by his standards.
Don't think though that Arsenal just had an off day, they had the majority of possession and showed their quality with their touch and passing. But they lacked a killer ball and struggled to get past a formidable Sunderland defence.
Paulo Da Silva was incredible, he was so composed and read the game magnificently, always blocking the attempted through ball or shrugging the forwards out of the way. Whilst his partner John Mensah was strong, quick and athletic, proving why Lyon paid a reported £9million for him only few seasons ago and I am extremely interested to see how he fares over the next few months when fully fit after a run in the team.
The Black Cats were effective in the counter attack, Andy Reid was intelligent with his distribution and the pace of Richardson and Bent kept the Arsenal back line on their toes. From this approach two fantastic chances were created for Steed Malbranque, twice the ex-Spurs and Fulham player failed to hit the target.
The Gunners did have their moments but only Tomas Rosicky really tested keeper Marton Fulop and so they were made to pay when Bent reacted quickest to the rebound off Frazier Campbell from a left wing corner.
Sunderland are the first team this season that Arsenal have failed to score against, it was fully deserved and when you consider the teams Arsenal have played so far, it is a tremendous achievement.
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