Premier League leader Arsenal conceded its first goal in 881 minutes and then again in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with Sunderland on Saturday, a result that potentially breathes new life into the title race.
Brian Brobbey’s goal in the fourth minute of added-on time ended Arsenal’s winning run of five matches in the league — and 10 in all competitions — that had been built on one of the stingiest defenses English soccer has seen in a generation.
Arsenal hadn’t let in a goal since Sept. 28 — nine games ago — before its former academy player, Dan Ballard, lashed in the opener for Sunderland in the 36th minute at the Stadium of Light.
“I felt a pain in my tummy,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “I don’t want to concede any goals.”
Back in the Premier League for the first time in eight years, Sunderland gave the leaders their most uncomfortable game for some time but second-half strikes by Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard looked like earning Arsenal a battling victory.
Brobbey’s late equalizer, after the substitute beat goalkeeper David Raya and defender Gabriel Magalhaes to the loose ball after a flick-on, means Arsenal’s lead is now seven points over second-place Manchester City, which plays defending champion Liverpool on Sunday.
Tottenham and Manchester United both scored stoppage-time goals in a wild finish to their 2-2 draw, while there were also wins for West Ham and Everton.
Chelsea hosts managerless Wolverhampton in the late game.
Chaotic finish
Just when it looked like Richarlison’s glancing header in the first minute of added-on time had sealed victory for Tottenham, Man United equalized with a header of its own from Matthijs de Ligt five minutes later to complete a dramatic finale to the match between teams which contested the Europa League final last season.
United extended its unbeaten streak in the league to five games — three wins followed by two away draws — for its best run in the year-long tenure of Ruben Amorim.
Yet the 40-year-old Portuguese coach insisted his team still had “a lot of problems” after squandering going ahead, going behind and then equalizing for the second straight week.
“We’re just in the beginning,” Amorim said. “I know that sometimes the results show to people that we are improving. We’re improving but we have a lot to do,”
Tottenham has only won one of its six homes games so far, yet showed resilience to fight back from conceding a 32nd-minute goal to Bryan Mbeumo — his fifth of the campaign.
The hosts dominated the second half and grabbed an equalizer in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off De Ligt. Tel had only been on the field for five minutes, having come on for Xavi Simons in a substitution that was booed by some sections of the home crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Jeers turned to cheers when Richarlison glanced in Wilson Odobert’s edge-of-the-area shot and Tottenham looked a big favorite for all three points — especially considering United was down to 10 men at that point because of a knee injury to substitute Benjamin Sesko. United had used all five substitutes and couldn’t replace the striker.
There was still time for De Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalward and over the line.
Successive w
ins
West Ham beat Burnley 3-2 to secure back-to-back victories under recently hired manager Nuno Espirito Santo, after last weekend’s win over Newcastle, and only remained in the relegation zone on goal difference.
After going behind, West Ham fought back through goals by Callum Wilson, Tomas Soucek and Kyle Walker-Peters before a last-gasp consolation from Burnley
Everton ended a three-match winless run by beating Fulham 2-0 thanks to goals by Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
