Gunners finding groove

Sunderland 1 Arsenal 3

If he maintains this level of performance, however, the modest Welshman had better become accustomed to the limelight shifting his way on a more regular basis.

He may not boast the hefty price tag of Gareth Bale and Mesut Ozil, but as his two second-half goals showed, the Welshman has the pedigree to put his stamp on any contest.

“Mesut’s been pretty quiet since he arrived, just getting on with his job,” the midfielder said of Arsenal’s £42.5m record signing, who is seemingly as keen as Ramsey not to attract untoward attention, other than where it matters most, for his football exploits.

Ramsey added: “He seems a really great person, both on and off the pitch, but he hasn’t been cracking any jokes so far yet. You saw what he’s all about. He’s an unbelievable talent and hopefully this is just the start of things with him in the side.”

Defying a virulent stomach bug which would have confined him to the bench had Arsene Wenger had more midfield options, such was Ozil’s influence before fatigue inevitably took hold, Paolo Di Canio pondered whether the German was wearing gloves rather than boots on his feet, such was the deftness of his touch in helping to set up two goals on his debut.

The recipient of one of many flawlessly weighted passes in the build up to his second goal, like the one nine minutes previously dispatched with clinical efficiency, Ramsey added: “I’ve been getting into positions like that without quite having the composure to finish it off and put them away. But now things seem to be gelling nicely.”

The same couldn’t be said of Theo Walcott, who spurned a first-half hat-trick with his wasteful finishing — Ozil the architect on two occasions.

Ramsey’s first, thrashed-home from Carl Jenkinson’s low centre, was one which the world’s most expensive footballer would have been proud. “It’s been great playing alongside Gareth as well as Mesut in the past week,” the Wales midfielder added. “I just wish him all the best at Real. He’s come a long way, he’s a quiet guy who has been well brought up with a very grounded family. He’s similar to me in that respect.”

Referee Martin Aktinson’s unfathomable refusal to play advantage denied Jozy Altidore a second Sunderland equaliser after Craig Gardner’s penalty cancelled out Olivier Giroud’s 15th Premier League goal for Arsenal, intriguingly, his first outside London as the visitors rode out a testing spell early in the second half.

A fifth straight win in all competitions was enough to put the London club top of the league, at least until Liverpool visit Swansea tonight.

Di Canio’s frustration eventually got the better of him, and in a fractious late exchange with Atkinson, he challenged the official to send him to the stands to ‘complete a perfect job.’ The invitation was duly accepted to add to the latest bad day at the office for the Italian, whose side quickly need to cast off the ‘work in progress’ platitudes that inevitably accompany the kind of upheaval seen this summer on Wearside.

Sunderland prop up the division just a point from four games, but the head coach is nothing if not an optimist. “I’m not worried,” he insisted, a bullish stance not wholly reflected among supporters. He added: “I’m happier today than after the defeat at Crystal Palace. That might sound strange but it’s only the fourth game of the season. This performance made me more confident. In four months’ time this team will know each other better.”

With a run of home fixtures that reads Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham, it’s to be hoped Di Canio remains in situ to see the fruits of his labour.

SUNDERLAND (4-4-2) Westwood 7; Celustka 6, Diakite 5, Roberge 5, Colback 5; Johnson 7, Ki 6, Vaughan 3 (Gardner 46, 7), Mavrias 6 (Borini 71, 4); Fletcher 7 (Wickham 77, 5), Altidore 6. Substitutes: Mannone, Brown, Larsson, Cuellar.

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1) Szczesny 6; Jenkinson 6, Sagna 6, Koscielny 6, Gibbs 6; Ramsey 9, Flamini 6; Walcott 4, Ozil 8 (Vermaelen 80, 6), Wilshere 7; Giroud 7 (Akpom 90, 5). (Monreal 89, 5). Substitutes: Fabianski, Frimpong, Miyaichi, Gnabry.

Referee: Martin Atkinson 4.