Arsenal are still flawless in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta's side were made to work hard away at Sunderland for long spells, but still came through 0-2. Jurriën Timber returned to the pitch for the first time since his injury.
Sunderland were well organised in the first half. The home side kept Arsenal largely under control, much to the frustration of manager Mikel Arteta. He was booked after comments about the refereeing.
Clear chances were scarce, although Daniel Ballard came close to the opener when he slid the ball wide from a free-kick. At the other end Kai Havertz looked the likeliest, but the German lacked a little sharpness. After a good move by Martin Ødegaard, Havertz fired over, and shortly afterwards goalkeeper Robin Roefs alertly tipped his effort over.
Then it looked as if it would all go wrong for the Gunners when the ball was placed on the spot after a foul by Ezri Konsa. Enzo Le Fee stepped up from 12 yards, but David Raya brilliantly pushed his effort onto the post.
Arsenal stayed level at 0-0, but not for long. In the 58th minute Bruno Guimarães opened the scoring at the other end. The Brazilian let fly from the edge of the box and sent the ball magnificently in off the crossbar: 0-1.
With the pressure off, Arsenal went after a second on the counter. Bukayo Saka was denied by Roefs, while Havertz's header was blocked. Jurriën Timber, on for the first time since his injury, did find the net, although he had strayed offside.
By the closing stages, Arsenal were hanging on again. Raya emerged as the hero. The Spaniard made several important saves and kept his side in front. In injury time Saka eventually made it 0-2. He did not fail from the penalty spot. As a result, Arsenal remain flawless and have 12 points after four matches.