Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score twice in five second-half minutes as Arsenal maintained their English Premier League title challenge with a comfortable 4-1 win at struggling Sunderland.
Alexis Sanchez scored the Gunners’ other two goals to make it 14 games unbeaten for Arsene Wenger’s side, who would have won with even more to spare had they taken all their chances in a dominant display.
Sunderland momentarily looked capable of springing a surprise when they levelled through Jermain Defoe’s 65th-minute penalty.
Photo: AP
However, their unlikely comeback was short-lived as Giroud claimed his first Premier League goals since May to herald a decisive burst of three goals in 6 minutes, 30 seconds from the visitors.
The Frenchman had been on the pitch for just 60 seconds when he volleyed home a cross from Kieran Gibbs to restore Arsenal’s lead in the 71st minute.
The 30-year-old secured victory with a looping near-post header from a Mesut Ozil corner soon after, before Sanchez kept his composure to add a close-range fourth after Gibbs’s shot came back off the post.
Arsenal provisionally moved three points clear at the league summit ahead of the rest of yesterday’s league games.
Defeat left winless Sunderland bottom of the table and with two points from 10 games, they have matched Manchester City’s unwanted 1995 record for the worst start to a Premier League season.
Manager David Moyes is still searching for a first league victory since succeeding Sam Allardyce in July.
Sunderland were fortunate not to concede half a dozen goals by half-time as they were left chasing shadows by Arsenal’s slick passing and movement.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
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