Raya's Penalty Save Flips It as Arsenal Make It Nine Straight at Sunderland
A 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light hinged on David Raya denying Enzo Le Fée from the spot before Bruno Guimarães' first Arsenal goal and a stoppage-time Bukayo Saka penalty.
Arsenal left the Stadium of Light with a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday, and with a piece of club history: a ninth successive Premier League victory, a run the club last managed in the Invincibles era, according to Arseblog News. The result, per Sky Sports, moved Mikel Arteta's side three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
The save that turned it
For all the champions-elect polish, this game swung on one moment early in the second half. Sunderland were awarded a penalty — Ezri Konsa penalised for a foul on Dan Ballard, per Arseblog — and Enzo Le Fée stepped up with the chance to put the hosts ahead. David Raya guessed right and kept it out, a save Sky Sports described as pivotal. Arteta was furious the penalty was given at all, telling Sky Sports it was "not a penalty in any case, in any context."
Minutes later, the game flipped. Substitute Bruno Guimarães, fed by Declan Rice, lashed a finish in off the underside of the crossbar for his first Arsenal goal — "a beautiful moment for me and my family," he said afterwards, before declaring Raya "definitely" the best goalkeeper in the world.
Saka seals it late
Sunderland kept pushing for an equaliser, but deep into stoppage time Bukayo Saka raced clear, was brought down by Reinildo inside the box, and converted the resulting penalty past Roefs to close it out at 0-2.
What it means
Sunderland stay on four points, and manager Régis Le Bris said he was "proud but disappointed" after running one of Europe's form teams close. For Arsenal, the pattern is the story: a goalkeeper winning them the hinge moment, a substitute providing the breakthrough, and the league's longest winning run rolling into the international-break-free stretch ahead.