Sunderland

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Sunderland defender Dan Ballard believes his side "always have a gameplan to win" as they drew 2-2 with league leaders Arsenal.

Ballard opened the scoring against the Gunners before Sunderland fell 2-1 behind - and then a last-minute equaliser from Brian Brobbey earned the hosts a point.

Sunderland became the first side in the league to score more than one goal against Arsenal this season. Mikel Arteta's side had conceded just three goals from 10 league games before their trip to the Stadium of Light.

Speaking on his opening goal, Ballard said: "It was a really special moment for me, and a really important goal as well.

"We're scoring late goals and defending like our lives depend on it.

"We prepared for Arsenal like a normal game, but obviously the quality is a lot higher. It's exactly the game we thought would happen.

"You can probably tell that we always have a gameplan to win. We set out to win and I thought we executed the gameplan.

"It could have gone either way so we're obviously happy with the point."

You can listen to more from Ballard on BBC Sounds

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Former England striker Wayne Rooney says Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka is "probably the signing of the season".

Xhaka has played every minute of all Sunderland's league games, scoring once and providing three assists.

They currently sit fourth in the table after an impressive 2-2 draw with league leaders Arsenal.

Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show: "Coming back to the Premier League, you wonder if he can do it. Obviously with a promoted team as well coming up, what impact could he have?

"But he's probably been the signing of the season. He has been brilliant."

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Sunderland and Arsenal at the Stadium of Light.

Here are some of your comments:

Sunderland

Martin: What a team, what a performance! Dan Ballard showed his most complete game and so many of the rest of the team are really firing on all cylinders now. Brian Brobbey will get the headlines for the dramatic finish but Bertrand Traore was really impressive again. Another seven wins and we're safe...

Vince (Arsenal fan): Sunderland are quite simply Granit Xhaka personified. Steely willed and never one to throw in the towel, they did exactly what Xhaka pulled off when, as Arsenal captain, he roared back into favour after being booed off the field months earlier. Now, as Sunderland skipper, he is undoubtedly the driving force behind their lofty position in perhaps the world's toughest football league.

Klaus: This result could prove to be pivotal come the end of the season.

Tony: Felt we were very comfortable up until the rob by Declan Rice on Enzo le Fee. It became a different game after the equaliser and we were under the cosh. It turned again when Arsenal brought on a defender and we brought on a striker.

Arsenal

Neil: Arsenal were given no time to settle on the ball. However, they did look in control and there will not be many times they will they concede two goals from only two shots on target. Had a penalty been rightly given (what's the point of VAR?) early on when Mikel Merino was elbowed in the face before the ball was won, maybe the result would have been different.

Steadyedd: We looked leggy in midfield after Leandro Trossard scored, yet Mikel Arteta only made one substitution with Cristhian Mosquera. Surely this was the perfect game to bring on Christian Norgaard to help see it out and take some pressure off the centre-backs? Take Eberechi Eze off, man. Ben White and Piero Hincapie were both on the bench too, so use them to slow the game down. The calamitous equaliser could have been avoided with better in-game management. I'll allow Arteta the odd mistake, but he really has to look at himself here.

Tommy: Let's put the Arsenal run into perspective. Dropped points against three of the top six (before Sunday's games). Will crack again under the pressure of a close title challenge.

James: I'm sure there will be a pile-on because it's Arsenal and they dared to drop points for once. Not our best game but agonisingly close to pulling a result out of the bag. Really disappointed but we are a really, really good side. One result doesn't change that although the usual social media and mainstream media cliches will come out. We move on.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

It was the two ex-Arsenal men - Granit Xhaka and Dan Ballard - who perhaps epitomised Sunderland's battling spirit best in their draw against Arsenal.

Xhaka was the leader on the pitch, orchestrating things in the middle, while Ballard drove the opener past David Raya, provided an assist for the equaliser, and made a brilliant block in the final few seconds to prevent Arsenal snatching the win.

Ballard started his professional career at the Gunners, having been in the club's academy since the age of eight, but did not make a first-team appearance for them before joining Sunderland in 2022.

"It's a good morale boost to show we can go against a really top team - probably one of the best in Europe at the minute - and delighted with that," Ballard told Match of the Day after Saturday's game.

"But it is just one point and we've got a lot of work to do to achieve our goal of staying up this year."

Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Match of the Day: "Ballard epitomised everything Sunderland have done so well, with his aggression and stopping Arsenal play.

"They are really, really tough to play against and there were so many examples of him and his team putting their bodies in the line. Arsenal will not have many tougher games than that this season, and Sunderland thoroughly deserved the point."

The draw means Sunderland remain unbeaten at home and they have 19 points from 11 games, well on the way to avoiding relegation as they sit nine points above the bottom three.

"Sunderland went physical today but within the laws of the game, apart from one moment in the first half when Dan Ballard challenged Mikel Merino in the box," Match of the Day pundit and former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott said.

"They were well organised and I didn't think they'd be able to keep it up for 90 minutes.

"There's a reason why Sunderland will be fine in this league. The Stadium of Light is not an easy place to play football.

"It was the most rattled I've seen Gabriel and William Saliba this season."

You can read more analysis of Sunderland's draw with Arsenal here

Pundits Alan Shearer and Theo Walcott join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 2-0 Fulham

• West Ham 3-2 Burnley

• Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris, speaking to BBC Match of the Day after their 2-2 draw with Arsenal: "The lads worked hard to the end. They believed it was possible to change the dynamic. It was a tough game, as we expected. They are probably one of the best teams in Europe. We struggled, but we still believed it was possible to score one more goal.

"Our fans helped a lot. We showed before that it was possible [to score late goals], so now we have this faith, this belief that until the final whistle, anything is possible.

"We were on the edge sometimes, but we're a new squad, we're young. We felt their pressure, their intensity. We felt the quality. We were on the edge during the second half.

"We tried to find the details to win the game. They're really strong on set pieces, but we're good as well. This was really important for this game, and it was balanced."

On Brian Brobbey: "We have many good options coming off the bench. So far, some of them haven't played a lot but were still connected with the squad. Brian worked hard after Wilson [Isidor], because Wilson started well. It's a reward for working hard."

On Sunderland's start: "For our fans, they deserve to look to the future with positive vibes. As a manager and coaching staff, we still want to improve our team, so we analyse. It was a good opportunity to do that and to improve the squad later."

Did you know?

Sunderland have scored more 90th minute goals than any other side in the Premier League this season with five - including stoppage time - with three of these goals altering the result of the match in their favour (W2 D1).

Listen to Le Bris' post-match thoughts on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

What did you make of Arsenal's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Sunderland name an unchanged side for the visit of Arsenal as Granit Xhaka faces his former side.

Sunderland XI: Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki, Traore, Le Fee; Isidor.

Subs: Patterson, Neil, Talbi, Brobbey, Rigg, Mayenda, O'Nien, Adingra, Masuaku.

There's three changes for Arsenal.

Martin Zubimendi returns from suspension while Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori also come back into the XI.

Mikel Merino continues to start in attack.

Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Merino.

Subs: Arrizabalaga, White, Lewis-Skelly, Hincapie, Mosquera, Norgaard, Nwaneri, Dowman, Harriman-Annous.

Sunderland improved a lot as their game went on against Everton, but they got a real good going-over in the early stages.

They cannot afford to start like that against Arsenal, who have superior players and are such a threat from set-pieces too.

The Gunners don't have to play well to win, they just grind away until they find a way through.

Mikel Arteta's side weren't pretty when they beat Slavia Prague in the Champions League but they don't care, and why should they?

Some of the football they play might get people asking whether that is the way you'd want to win a title, but do you think the Arsenal players will be bothered when they are popping open the champagne?

It is about knowing how to do it, not how you do it.

There is a lot of the old '1-0 to the Arsenal' in this current Gunners team, although I do expect them to take more goals off other teams at times.

It is at the back where they are so strong.

Can Sunderland cause them problems? Absolutely, but I think this latest Arsenal win will come off the back of another Arsenal clean sheet.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Tottenham v Manchester United (12:30)

• Everton v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• West Ham v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Wolves (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Fulham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

High-flying Sunderland face their biggest test to date as they host league leaders Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on Saturday (17:30 GMT). BBC Sport explores some key themes surrounding this fixture.

Sunderland's Xhaka set for emotional reunion

Promoted Sunderland's exceptional start to this Premier League campaign has been well documented.

Their total of 18 points from the opening 10 games is the best return by a newly promoted side for 17 years.

That side was Hull City in 2008-09, who amassed 20 points from their first 10 matches before an alarming drop in form. Phil Brown's team collected a meagre 15 from their remaining 28 fixtures and ended the season just a point above the relegation zone in 17th.

Hull's sharp decline is a reminder of the Premier League's unforgiving nature and Saturday's clash with Arsenal is likely to be the toughest test yet for Regis Le Bris and his players.

Much of the focus this weekend will be on midfielder Granit Xhaka, as the 33-year-old – who scored his first Sunderland goal in the 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday night – is set to face his former club this weekend.

Xhaka made 225 Premier League appearances for the Gunners between 2016 and 2023, with 113 of those coming under their current boss Mikel Arteta. The Swiss international is one of just nine players to represent both clubs in the division, including Nicklas Bendtner and Steve Bould.

Europe's best defence

Arsenal's rise to the top of the Premier League table has primarily been built on defence.

Their clean sheet in the 3-0 win at Slavia Prague on Tuesday night was their eighth in a row in all competitions, equalling a 122-year-old club record.

The previous feat was achieved by Woolwich Arsenal in 1903 and it was between seasons, which makes this current run all the more impressive.

Their past four wins have all come without conceding and the Gunners last won five successive league games without letting in a goal some 38 years ago under George Graham.

The Gunners have the best defensive record of any team in Europe's top five leagues this term, with the most shut-outs, the fewest goals conceded and fewest shots on target faced per game.

Mikel Arteta's side have conceded only 19 shots on target in the Premier League this season, including just one across their last four matches. Their average of 1.9 shots on target faced per game is the lowest since Opta's records began in 2003-04.

The league leaders have a watertight defence, one of the deepest squads in Europe and have scored eight top-flight goals from corners this season – the most ever by a side in their first 10 games of a season.

Recent history is also on their side in this fixture. The Gunners are unbeaten in their past 15 Premier League meetings with Sunderland, winning 10 and drawing five.

Holly Bacon
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light (kick-off 17:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Le Bris says Omar Alderete will not be available this weekend and that it's "not really serious" but the club have followed the concussion protocol which is "really strict". The Sunderland boss says he will probably be able to get some minutes with Paraguay and get ready for the Fulham game. The defender was concussed against Wolves on 18 October.

• He confirmed there are no fresh injury concerns and provided an update on Habib Diarra's recovery. He said the Senegal international is "in a good place" but they won't rush the process because "it is an important injury".

• On his side's character and coming from behind in games, Le Bris said: "We can keep our consistency even if something is going wrong. In this Premier League with a young squad it's something which is very positive. I think we have this character, this spirit to stay in the game and stay composed, try and fight until the end - which is a motto for us. The other side, this league is really demanding so it is not a surprise to concede a goal."

• Le Bris says the confidence Granit Xhaka transmits to the squad is really important and that it is "a really good opportunity" for Sunderland to have a player like him because "the club wants to grow and you need to set the standards".

• More on the qualities of Xhaka, who faces his former club this weekend: "We spoke this week about his leadership and we agreed that one of the main strengths of a leader is to create another leader and he is doing this every day".

• Le Bris believes the game against Arsenal has arrived at "the perfect time" to test them. He added: "We have to play our best football and if we are afraid or a bit reserved against this kind of team we will be punished. If we are too emotional we will be punished. We have to do a masterclass - no choice!"

• On whether they're trying to find a way to stop Arsenal getting corners, Le Bris joked: "I don't know if it's possible."

Hear more from Regis le Bris on BBC Sounds

Listen to Sunderland v Arsenal on Radio 5 Live via BBC Sounds here from 17:30 GMT on Saturday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

How to follow the Premier League on the BBC this weekend

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With the countdown to the Celebrity Traitors final under way, we asked you which Sunderland player or manager - past or present - would make the best traitor and faithful.

Here are some of your comments:

Joe: Granit Xhaka could be a faithful, traitor or take over from Claudia... because he's Xhaka.

Simon: Only one candidate for traitor - Paolo di Canio. And faithful? Jimmy Montgomery, Kevin Ball or Gary Bennett maybe?

Chris: Luke O'Nien would make a good faithful because of his loyalty and he is a team player. And traitor would be Jack Colback for the way he left for Newcastle - no loyalty.

Simon: The best traitor would be David Moyes for many, many obvious reasons...

You can watch the final of The Celebrity Traitors live from 21:00 GMT on BBC iPlayer

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert

Challenges. Leaders and followers. Tactics. Second guessing and wondering where to turn next.

This could be any game of football in the Premier League this weekend.

It is also the plot to any episode of BBC's hit show - The Traitors.

The countdown to the end game of the Celebrity series is on, but, while we wait for that, we want to know which Sunderland player (or manager) - past or present - you think would make the best traitor, and who would be more suited to the role of a faithful.

Was it the way they could appear at the back post without anyone noticing? Or could they stop anybody getting past them?

Get in touch with your choices and the reasons why here

The Celebrity Traitors final will air on Thursday, 6 November on BBC One and iPlayer

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

How much difference can a point make at this stage of the season?

Potentially, quite a lot. Particularly so for those promoted sides trying to keep themselves in the Premier League for another year.

In the past 10 seasons, clubs who have come up from the Championship have a 100% record of staying up if they have gathered 11 points or more after 10 games.

The most recent occasion that a promoted side had 11 or more points after that number of matches and was relegated was Cardiff in 2013-14. They were 12th with 12 points after 10 games but ultimately finished bottom with 30 points.

This will be music to the ears of fans of Leeds United and Sunderland, with the Whites currently sitting on that magic number and four points clear of the relegation zone, despite a heavy defeat at Brighton on Saturday.

The Black Cats, in fact, might even find themselves already looking up rather than down after their flying start to life back in the top flight.

Regis le Bris' side currently find themselves fourth, separated from Liverpool in third by just goal difference.

With 18 points, Sunderland would have to make unwanted history to find themselves back in the Championship by becoming the first team to be relegated after picking up that number of points after 10 games.

Although it was unlikely against the league leaders, fellow promoted side Burnley could have also reached the 11-point mark if they had managed to take something against Arsenal on Saturday, but defeat has left them on the edge of that with 10 points.

Chances of survival drop quite drastically for teams below the 11-point threshold, with just 20% of sides on eight to 10 points after 10 games staying up since 2015-16.

With promoted clubs having struggled to break the Premier League mould in recent campaigns, can this season's trio turn that tide? It is a promising start.

Stats and graphics provided by BBC Sport statistician Chris Collinson

Gavin Henderson
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

I think it sums up just how far Sunderland have come in such a short space of time that I sit here writing this feeling disappointed that we are not currently sitting second in the Premier League table.

While a win over Everton would have taken us there, we had to settle for a draw and we find ourselves in a lowly fourth place. Woe is me!

In all seriousness, the standards at this club have been raised to such a degree that not being second is genuinely irritating.

After the game, Granit Xhaka spoke about how he felt that training the day before the game was not the best and had maybe contributed to our poor start against the Toffees. He is a born winner and, as such, will not tolerate "average" from himself nor his team-mates, and that is music to my ears.

Thankfully, we recovered well and from about the 25th minute onwards, Sunderland were clearly the better team. We dominated the ball, got on top in the moments that mattered and it is to Everton's credit that they managed to hold us off after such a sustained spell of pressure.

Xhaka himself led the comeback with a rather fortunate goal just after half-time, and had the VAR officials done their jobs, we would have been awarded a penalty for a handball from Michael Keane, which would have given us a chance to net a second of the night and possibly a winner.

I have to ask - what is the point in VAR if it is not going to look at decisions like that one properly and then refer them to the referee? He should have been asked to take a second, look at it on the monitor, as I have no doubt he would have given Sunderland a penalty.

If you flip it, had the referee awarded the handball, there is no way that VAR would have stepped in and told him he had made the wrong decision.

It is a shame we are not going into the Arsenal game in second as that would have made it a top-of-the-table fixture, but it is what it is - really, league position is not all that important at this stage and really it is about performances.

If the Sunderland that played the first 25 minutes against Everton shows up against Arsenal, they will get trounced, but if the version of our team that played out the rest of the game turns up, we will give the Gunners a really good game and I actually fancy us to get something.

They have not conceded many yet this season, but we are a strong and physical side like they are and I am really interested in seeing us pit ourselves against them, especially given they have gone to a more direct style as they strive to win their first Premier League title in a very long time.

Onwards and upwards - we're in a really good place right now... fourth place.

Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report, external

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We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Everton and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: A shame not to win but to dominate like that in a Premier League match is a good sign. Mainly we've been playing on the counter attack, so to be on the front foot so easily shows how far we have come already.

Dean: The game completely turned on the Barry miss after around 30 minutes. It seemed the confidence drained from Everton after their striker issues all season. The Toffees could have miraculously nicked it in added time but Alcaraz made the wrong choice. In the end, a point apiece was a fair result.

Michael: As a lifelong Sunderland supporter, having seen Brian Clough play, this team and management is among the very best, ranking with the 1973 or Peter Reid's Quinn/Phillips teams. The differentiation is the calm and organised management at all levels, researching talent and improving on it - and appreciating the supporters by not pricing them out. I am actually looking forward to the Africa Cup of Nations to see what some of the best players from last year can do in the Premier League.

Lambert: They looked anxious and like they were feeling the pressure of their excellent start for the first time, particularly in the face of Everton's strong opening. Fantastic effort to bring it back though. Xhaka and Sadiki, who had a forgettable first half, were terrific in the second. 1-1 was fair.

Lee: Solid point. Stadium of Light remains a fortress for us and it was great to see us come from behind to take something from the game, again.

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland captain and player of the match Granit Xhaka, speaking to Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw with Everton: "To be honest, we lost the three points today in the first 20/25 minutes in my opinion, sloppy on the ball, too many mistakes, easy mistakes.

"At this level, you get punished but second half was very, very good. A lot of emotions. We create a lot of chances. With a bit more luck, we win this game, but in the end we take one point."

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris on captain Granit Xhaka: "He's really important because we have many young players and many new players in this league.

"They don't know the condition and one player like Granit, with his previous experiences, is really important for us. He has this quality to score.

"I'm happy to have this kind of player. He wants to play football, he wants to be competitive, he's always connected with the game and he sets the standards."

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris speaking after the 1-1 draw with Everton: "We have to say that we didn't start well, or our opponents started very well. They dominated the start of the game.

"Because of our turnovers we were able to feed their dynamic. They have many players to exploit with counter attacks.

"It was more because of our weakness at that minute rather than the balance of the game.

"Later we changed the dynamic, we were more composed on the ball, dominated the game and got an early goal in the second half.

"We finished the first half well, we kept going but it's still important to score. You can be dominant but if you don't score then your opponent can wait for their moment.

"The goal was very important."

On the midfield partnership between Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki and what he has to do for their relationship: "It's easy with good players, you don't have to do much.

"Game model, game plan, then manage the game because they are smart and very good with the ball.

"It's always easier with these kind of players."

On appeals for a penalty because of a handball in the second half: "I didn't review the action, but on the bench they told me it was a pen.

"I don't know, we'll see later."

• Did you know? Sunderland have 18 points from their opening 10 Premier League games this season (W5 D3 L2), the most by a newly promoted side since Hull City in 2008-09 (20).