Zubimendi and Gyokeres fire Arsenal nine clear as title belief grows

Arsenal's victory leaves them nine points clear of Manchester City who face Liverpool on Sunday

Viktor Gyokeres scored a brace for Arsenal in their victory over Sunderland. Pic: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

Premier League: Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland 

Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres, two of manager Mikel Arteta’s key summer signings, scored the goals to send Arsenal nine points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

City manager Pep Guardiola has pointed out there is still the best part of a third of the season to go, but defeat for his side at Liverpool on Sunday will leave Arteta and his players believing they can go all the way this season.

And why not? They were not at their best against a spirited Sunderland side, who held Arsenal to a draw earlier in the season, but had by far more quality in areas where the game was decided, in midfield and in front of goal.

They are so much stronger than in their three previous seasons when they finished runners-up in the title race.

And Arteta flexed his muscles by trying a new look line up as he adapted to injuries to Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino. Noni Madueke started for Saka on the right and forwards Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus began ahead of the rested Gyokeres.

A deserved but not easy win ensued. David Raya made a rare error trying to catch a high cross into the Arsenal area as Sunderland recovered well from Arsenal’s early blitz to show they had not come here just to defend.

Arsenal remained the better side, without the chances to show for it, while Sunderland more than held their own only for Declan Rice to nearly break the deadlock with a vicious curler that whistled past a post on the half hour.

Scrappy does not come close to describing how the rest of the first half was played out as Sunderlandd made it more of a physical fight with both Habib Diarra and Brian Brobbey booked for cynical fouls.

Brobbey was lucky to escape a red for going over the top on Zubimendi, who did well to play on from a potentially ruinous challenge. Rather than complain, the Spanish midfield maestro served up the perfect answer by drilling in Arsenal’s opening goal with a precise low right-foot drive from 20 yards out after 42 minutes.

Arsenal were briefly awarded a penalty for a foul on Jesus soon after only for a wafer thin VAR offside call to go against the Arsenal forward, even though he appeared, at first sight, to be in his own half when he ran on to a through ball.

Arsenal stayed on top, without being convincing after the break. Arteta made his move to try and dampen an increasingly dangerous and confident-looking Sunderland side by sending on Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli.

And Swedish striker Gyokeres did what was expected of him by scoring his fifth goal in seven matches with a scrappy low shot as he was losing his balance 66 minutes into the match.

He got his second in time added on at the end as he finished a great run and break from the half way line alongside Martinelli.

Just the sort of striker’s finish Arteta hoped he was getting when he signed the Swede from Sporting Lisbon and definitely enough for the Arsenal fans to chant his name before concluding the match with a chorus of ‘we are top of the league!’ 

ARSENAL: Raya 6, Timber 6, Saliba 5, Gabriel 6, Calafiori 6 (Hincapie 67), Zubimendi 8, Rice 7, Havertz 7 (Eze 67), Madueke 6 (Martinelli 60), Trossard 7 (Norgaard 89), Jesus 6 (Gyokeres 60). Subs: Arrizabalaga, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, White.

SUNDERLAND: Roefs 6, Mukiele 6, Ballard 7, Alderete 6, Reinildo 6, Hume 6 (Angulo 85), Le Fee 6, Sadiki 6 (Geertruida 71), Talbi 6 (Mundle 64), Diarra 5, Brobbey 6 (Isidor 85). Subs: Ellborg, O'Nien, Cirkin, Rigg, Mayenda 

Ref: Sam Barratt 5