Sunderland lose to Arsenal as Arteta criticises penalty decision

Mikel Arteta's anger over a penalty decision dominated the aftermath of Sunderland's 2-0 home defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal. The result at the Stadium of Light leaves the Black Cats 14th in the table with four points from their opening four matches.

Bruno Guimarães scored his first goal for Arsenal just before the hour mark, and Bukayo Saka added a late penalty. The flashpoint came in the 55th minute when referee John Brooks penalised Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa for a challenge on Dan Ballard, awarding Sunderland a spot-kick. David Raya saved Enzo Le Fee's effort, preserving the clean sheet.

Arteta was unequivocal in his post-match criticism. "It's unacceptable at this level, this can change the course of a season and the championship," the Arsenal manager said. "I've seen it 10 times to make sure and it's not possible at this level that it can be a penalty." He added, "It's not a penalty in any context, in any league."

Despite the contentious moment, Sunderland's physical approach caused Arsenal problems for long periods. The home side deserved credit for their effort but could not find a way past an Arsenal defence that has now kept four clean sheets in five games. The defeat ended a positive run of form for Sunderland, whose recent results had shown three wins, one draw and one loss.

Looking ahead, the fixture list presents another formidable challenge. Sunderland travel to face Manchester City, who are second in the table, this weekend. The squad will also be hoping for positive news on the injury front, with Habib Diarra, Romaine Mundle and Omar Alderette currently sidelined.

The loss to Arsenal means Sunderland have now conceded five goals while scoring three this season, leaving them with a minus-two goal difference. They sit eight points behind the early pace-setters. The team will aim to bounce back quickly when they visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 20 September.

Read the full report at reuters.com