SUNDERLAND HAVE JUST BEEN HANDED A HUGE VERDICT AFTER ARSENAL DEFEAT

Well, that was a battle. Sunderland were excellent, Arsenal resilient in their own way. Two key moments of quality decided it – the Raya penalty save and the Guimaraes goal that followed. Saka’s spot-kick at the end adds a bit of gloss to the scoreline.

The champions win again! Four out of four to start the season.

Saka goes bottom right and Roefs gets a hand to it but can only push it into the side-netting. All over.

Arsenal go up the end with Saka, who is being tugged into the area by Reinildo. As Saka goes to shoot, there’s enough contact to send him to the floor and John Brooks points to the spot. It’s a second yellow and a red for Reinildo. Saka will take to seal the points …

90+5 min: Roefs launches a free-kick forward. Ballard gets his head on another long ball forward but Brobbey can’t latch on to it before it reaches Raya.

90+4 min: Mukiele stops Merino on the edge of the Sunderland box. Brobbey gets his team up the pitch and throws himself at a Fofana cross but can’t get the right connection.

90+3 min: Arsenal win a throw in the corner but Havertz gives away a foul and goes into the book. Mukiele gives him a shove for good measure.

90+1 min: Six added minutes are announced after things have calmed down.

90 min: There’s handbags on the touchline as Guimaraes rolls around after a challenge – then rolls back on to the pitch. Isidor is the most aggrieved. Gabriel and Mukiele go on the book.

89 min: Saka escapes a booking for a trip on Danso. Sunderland send the big lads forward for Xhaka’s free-kick. Sunderland win a throw down the right – Mukiele launches it this time. Gabriel ends up on the deck and it’s a free-kick.

87 min: Xhaka is in charge of midfield now. Arsenal have a rare foray forward and Eze miscues a cross that lands behind the goal. Sunderland come again.

85 min: Big chance for Sunderland! Xhaka delivers a devilish cross into the middle and it bounces just in front of Raya, who flings his glove at it. The ball springs high and the goalkeeper gets there again, winning a free-kick in the melee. Merino replaces Odegaard.

84 min: Great effort from Mukiele! The ball bounces loose in the area and the defender’s scissor kick flies on to the roof of the net.

82 min: Arsenal changes – Eze and Zubimendi replace Rice and Tzolis. Feels risky taking Rice off now, but the man needs all the rest he can get. Zubimendi concedes a corner …

81 min: Gabriel makes himself even more unpopular by falling theatrically backwards when Brobbey gives him a shove in the chest. The striker goes into the book as Gabriel grimaces in ‘pain’ on the floor.

80 min: Sunderland are still creating openings and look dangerous. Fofana is causing Timber a few problems down the left wing. Arsenal are happy to sit and defend.

78 min: Timber has the ball in the net! He heads in an Odegaard free-kick but the assistant’s flag goes up straight away. Correct decision.

77 min: A Fofana cut-back causes utter carnage in the Arsenal box. Mukiele goes down under a challenge, then Isidor tries a backheel. Isidor and Fofana then go down and VAR says it’s all OK.

76 min: Attacking change for Sunderland. Fofana replaces Meunier down the right.

75 min: Big chances for Arsenal! Tzolis wins the ball and Odegaard feeds Saka on the right of the area. The winger’s shot isn’t great and it’s easy for Roefs to bat away. Saka’s corner is headed back into the six-yard box by Havertz at the back post and Ballard somehow heads it away from under the crossbar. Guimaraes then sends a shot wide.

73 min: Isidor looks of disdain back at Ballard, who launched a ball long in his direction that bounces out for a throw. Calafiori takes too long over it and the throw is reversed.

70 min: Change for Sunderland – Isidor on, Angulo off. They’re going two up top, with Le Fee on the left.

68 min: Big chance for Arsenal! Saka finds Havertz in the area but the striker opts to cut the ball back instead of shooting. Ballard cuts it out with plenty of Arsenal players waiting. Xhaka is booked for a rash challenge on Guimaraes.

66 min: Arsenal win a free-kick near the centre circle when Saka goes down over an outstretched leg. Ballard is booked, possibly for dissent. Raya takes it short.

64 min: Rice fouls Brobbey just into the Arsenal half. Xhaka drifts it towards Ballard, Meunier takes a swing and there’s a VAR check for handball. Nope.

62 min: It’s non-stop this. Brobbey robs Tzolis on halfway and suddenly Arsenal are outnumbered. The striker delays a little too long and Tzolis wins it back, punching the air at doing so. Guimaraes is still being booed, maybe louder now.

60 min: Totally against the run of play, that. Just after Raya’s penalty save, Arsenal made hard work of defending another Danso long throw before going up the other end. Guimaraes, the £75m summer signing from Newcastle, took the ball on the edge of the box, set himself and curled it into the top corner to Roefs’ left.

54 min: Angulo wins another throw-in. Danso tosses it into the box again and Konsa wrestles Ballard to the floor. John Brooks points to the spot!

52 min: Gabriel claims he’s been elbowed by Ballard at the long throw but, really, it’s not much and not intentional anyway. The Brazilian has to leave the field for one minute, as per the new rules, after the game is stopped. He spends it speaking to Arteta in the technical area.

50 min: Boos greet every Guimaraes touch of the ball. Sunderland keep Arsenal boxed in the corner as Sadiki wins another throw for Danso to launch into the area. Raya claims this one easily.

48 min: Almost an Arsenal calamity on the long throw as Raya and Gabriel go for the same ball! It drops to Ballard, who takes a swing at it and sees his shot blocked. Brobbey asks more questions of Konsa on a following break before Sadiki fires over.

46 min: The second half starts as Rice steals in before Brobbey can collect the ball on the edge of the Arsenal box and boots it clear. Danso will wind up a long throw for Sunderland …

Two Arsenal changes: Guimaraes and Timber on, Lewis-Skelly and the injured White off. Former Newcastle player Guimaraes gets a healthy booing as he enters the pitch.

“A return to form for Saka would be the icing on the cake,” says former Arsenal defender Martin Keown on TNT Sports at half-time. I’m not sure there is a cake to ice just yet. Tzolis has looked a more creative presence for Arsenal out wide, with Saka on the end of a couple of chances. You get the feeling that, in this form, Odegaard will come up with something eventually.

Arsenal have had a couple of decent chances but Sunderland have been more than competitive. Brian Brobbey has been pretty immense holding the ball up against Gabriel and Ezri Konsa.

The half ends with Xhaka intervening with his heel as Havertz tries to head in Saka’s header across goal. The referee blows for half-time before Arsenal can take the corner.

45 min: There’s one added minute. Timber is stripped and ready because White has tweaked something. Arteta will wait for the break.

44 min: Havertz stretches to get his head to the Sunderland corner and it’s behind for another one. Raya gets a fist to the next one before Le Fee drags a low shot wide of the near post. Sunderland have had a good few minutes.

42 min: Angulo robs White of the ball in the Arsenal half and sets off towards the box. After a stepover and a ball roll, the winger throws himself to the floor as White steps across him. Meunier’s shot is blocked out for a corner.

36 min: Calafiori gives the referee an earful after Brobbey bumps him over at the resulting corner. VAR have a look for a moment or two but dismiss the claims. Sunderland then come forward as Mukiele drives into space. His low shot is blocked by Gabriel’s outstretched legs. Sunderland win a free-kick in a crossing position on the right …