Champions Arsenal grind out big three points as Sunderland pay the penalty

Guimaraes rubbed salt into Wearside wounds with a stunning opener after David Raya capped a fine individual display with an outstanding penalty save from Enzo Le Fee in a pivotal two-minute spell

Arsenal's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates scoring his side's first goal. Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.

Sunderland 0 Arsenal 2

OF course it had to be Bruno Guimaraes as Arsenal underlined their credentials for a successful Premier League title defence by proving they could do it on unseasonably mild Autumn night at the Stadium of Light.

The Gunners' former Newcastle midfielder rubbed salt into Wearside wounds with a stunning opener after David Raya capped a fine individual display with an outstanding penalty save from Enzo Le Fee in a pivotal two-minute spell as the hour mark approached.

It took another stirring rearguard action from Mikel Arteta's side to see out another statement win at a venue where plenty of top teams will come unstuck this season.

The Spaniard's first-half caution for venturing out of his technical area proved to be a rare example of Arsenal failing to keep their shape on a night where to a man they stood up to the not inconsiderable challenge posed by Regis Le Bris' side.

Bukayo Saka added a stoppage time second from the spot to seal a ninth consecutive league win after Reinildo Mandava earned his second yellow card for bringing down the England midfielder in the box.

After successfully negotiating the uniquely intimidating atmosphere of Napoli in the Champions League in midweek, Arsenal admirably coped with arguably its Premier League equivalent to the backdrop of a wonderfully hostile welcome under lights on the banks of the River Wear.

Saka should have done better with one of the visitors' two first-half shot on target, but his unwillingness to use his right foot saw him make a hash of the chance he was presented with when meeting a deftly-weighted Declan Rice pass into the area.

Chances were predictably scarce in the meeting of two sides who've allowed the fewest shots in the top flight this season.

The only time either keeper was called into action before the break was when Robin Roefs was forced to tip over a shot close range on the turn from Kai Havertz after the German forward engineered space with a neat chest control, in stark contrast to when he spooned a shot over from an inviting Martin Odegaard cut-back in an early Arsenal foray.

The contest opened up after the break but just as Sunderland were building up a head of steam in their best spell of the contest, Arsenal took the lead.

The hosts wasted a golden chance to break the deadlock from the penalty spot when Ezri Konsa was rightfully penalised by referee John Brooks for wrestling former Gunners trainee Dan Ballard to the ground as the pair competed to meet a long throw from Kevin Danso.

Le Fee scored from 12 yards in last week's draw at Brentford, but the Frenchman couldn't repeat the trick on home soil. Raya dived full-length low to his left to push the attempt onto the post and away to safety. Arsenal didn't face a penalty in the entirety of the Premier League last season and it was only the second one faced by their Spanish keeper during his time at the Emirates Stadium.

The costliness of Lee Fee's failure was magnified precisely 122 second later. From a square pass from Rice, former Magpies skipper Guimaraes, on as a substitute for Myles Lewis-Skelly, had time to take a touch before unleashing an unstoppable shot from 20 yards which found the top corner off the underside of the bar for his first goal since a £75m summer move from St James' Park.

Roefs saved well from Saka after Sunderland were caught short of numbers by a swift counter attack and Jurrien Timber's header was ruled out for offside as the game-killing second goal eluded Arteta's side.

The hosts showed dogged determination in search of an equaliser but knew it wasn't going to be their night when Raya produced another stand out block to claw out a close-range Nordi Mukiele effort from Granit Xhaka's centre.

The Wearsiders chalked up an 18th Premier League game without a victory against the defending Champions as with virtually the final kick of the game Saka sealed the outcome despite Roefs getting a hand to his low effort from the spot.

Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Roefs 7; Mukiele 7, Danso 7, Ballard 7, Reinildo 7; Xhaka 7, Sadiki 6; Meunier 7 (Fofana 76, 6), Le Fee 5, Angulo 6 (Isidor 70, 5); Brobbey 7.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya 9; White 5 (Timber 46, 6), Konsa 6, Gabriel 6, Calafiori 7; Rice 7 (Zubimendi 82, 6), Lewis-Skelly 5 (Guimaraes 46, 8); Saka 6, Odegaard 7 (Merino 85, 6), Tzolis 7 (Eze 82, 6); Havertz 6.

Referee: J Brooks.