Arsenal don’t have leg to stand on as ex-PGMOL chief speaks out on Sunderland scenes
Keith Hackett has told Arsenal they have no grounds for complaint after being pegged back late on in Saturday’s thrilling draw with Sunderland.
Brian Brobbey struck in the 94th minute of the match at the Stadium of Light as Sunderland earned a 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
Sunderland even earned praise from Alan Shearer for their superb first-half display, in which they went into the interval 1-0 up through Dan Ballard’s strike.
Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard turned the game around, but Brobbey brilliantly flicked home an equaliser for Sunderland in the dying seconds.
Arsenal appeared to ask for the goal to be ruled out, but VAR stuck with referee Craig Pawson’s on-field decision to award the goal.
Keith Hackett reacts to late Brian Brobbey equaliser vs Arsenal
Regis Le Bris went with an unchanged Sunderland XI and the Black Cats more than gave the league leaders a run for their money.
While it’s true the Black Cats did drop off for a spell in the second half, allowing Arsenal to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead, they recovered superbly to earn a deserved point.
Arsenal’s players appeared upset with Brobbey’s goal, likely arguing that the forward’s boot was high when making contact with the ball and flicking it past David Raya.
However, reacting to footage of the goal, former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett exclusively told Mackem News that the strike was right to stand.
“The Arsenal player closest to the ball was low down, so it’s good to see the goal allowed. This is an example of a good piece of officiating from Craig Pawson.”
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal match stats in full
Sunderland were good value for their point in the end, with that lifting them up to third in the Premier League with 11 matches played.
It has been a dream return to the top flight for the Black Cats, with Ballard playing a starring role for Sunderland once again against Arsenal.
| Sunderland | Arsenal | |
| 2 | Goals | 2 |
| 6 | Shots | 17 |
| 2 | Shots on target | 7 |
| 35.2% | Possession | 64.8% |
| 16 | Touches in opposition box | 32 |
Sunderland may have had far less of the ball against Arsenal – 35.2 per cent to their opponents’ 64.8 per cent – but they got a couple of shots on target and found the net from both of those.
Arsenal managed seven shots on target, but only two found a way past Robin Roefs in the Sunderland goal.
And while it is true Sunderland’s expected goals (xG) value of 0.44 was significantly lower than Arsenal’s 2.09, Le Bris’ men did what was needed to take a rare point off the country’s best side.
Sunderland fans now have two weeks to enjoy this latest impressive display ahead of heading to Fulham on 22 November after the international break.
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