Another life for Sunderland as Arsenal eye FA Cup glory

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0: Arsenal needed a point to all but confirm third place in the Premier League; Sunderland needed a point to escape relegation; three of the last six games between the teams at the Emirates had ended goalless. Can you guess what the score was yet?

In the end both teams got what they needed. But it is a result that will be remembered far more fondly in the north-east than in north London given that Arsenal have now gone three games at home without scoring a goal and can no longer catch Manchester City, who are confirmed as runners-up to Chelsea.

Perhaps, given time for reflection, Arsenal will consider this a season of progress, especially if they go on to beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup Final at Wembley on May 30. But it didn’t exactly feel like a party.