Sunderland crawled out of the English Premier League relegation zone and Arsenal dropped points in their quest for a top-four finish in a lively 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
A game full of chances saw Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt rattle the woodwork with a first-half free-kick, while at the other end former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone made several great saves to deny his old club.
Both sides had strong penalty appeals turned down as well, first when Arsenal centerback Per Mertesacker blocked Jermain Defoe’s shot with his arm, then minutes later when DeAndre Yedlin’s outstretched arm deflected away Alex Iwobi’s shot.
Photo: Reuters
Arsenal finished strongly as Mannone saved from Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, but Sunderland grasped the point that moved them above Norwich City on goal-difference, with both sides having four matches to play.
Second-from-bottom Newcastle United are a point back with one fewer game remaining.
“We’ve got ourselves out of the bottom three now for the first time in many months and the challenge now for the lads is to stay out of it,” Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce said.
“I thought we definitely should have had a penalty. Mertesacker turned his back on the ball with his arms in the air and stopped what looked like a certain goal,” he said.
Arsenal stayed in fourth spot, behind Manchester City on goal-difference and five points above FA Cup finalists Manchester United, but a 19th consecutive appearance in the UEFA Champions League is still not guaranteed as United have a game in hand.
One bright note for Arsenal was midfielder Jack Wilshere’s first appearance of the season after sustaining a leg fracture that required an operation.
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