Sunderland vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Arsenal responded to a suspect week in performances by grinding out an important 2-0 victory over Sunderland at The Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Alexis Sanchez took advantage of two defensive errors to swoop in and score two goals, leading the Gunners out of a slightly sticky patch and returning them to winning ways.
Here are our winners and losers from the match!
Loser: Wes Brown, Whose Mistake Cost Sunderland the Game
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Wes Brown was hauled off at half-time against Southampton last week, so it was something of a surprise, perhaps, to see him start once again vs. Arsenal. Gus Poyet likely trusted the veteran to bounce back from a possible one-off horror show, or was forced to do so due to injuries.
The manager's faith was not repaid.
In possession on the halfway line, Brown tangled his own legs up and a ridiculously poor attempt at a back pass to Vito Mannone was pounced on by Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean tore forward, steadied himself, then lifted a delicate chip over the onrushing 'keeper.
Winner: Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck's Blossoming Partnership
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Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez both looked excellent on Saturday afternoon, with the latter firing home a brace and the former stretching the defence throughout.
They look very comfortable with each other, and their intricate passing and moving wreaks havoc for defences in the box. If they can overcome the temptation to overcomplicate things and ruin strong positions, it's a partnership that can become one of the best.
Loser: Gus Poyet's Pre-Match Pep Talk
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Mistakes happen in football, and many say the way a team reacts to them tells you all about their character.
After the opening goal, Sunderland shrank into a deep-set shell and defended for their lives, hashing clearances, lacking the composure to pass out and rarely attacking again.
"If Sunderland were defending any deeper they'd actually be inside Vito Mannone.
— George Caulkin (@CaulkinTheTimes) October 25, 2014"
Arsenal looked very good for long stretches, but Sunderland played their part in that. The moment they went down they looked scared for their lives, perhaps reliving the horrors of the 8-0.
This group is shattered confidence-wise, and bar a late rally, they never looked like believing they could get a result.
Winner: Nacho Monreal, Who Stepped into Central Defence Well
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Nacho Monreal is not a centre-back, and he's been struggling to get game-time in his natural left-back role, too. An injury crisis has forced him to play in the centre alongside Per Mertesacker, and while many expected the worst, the Spaniard has impressed and held the fort.
He played well against a Sunderland team who were desperate to make a statement in front of their home support, and he even matched up to Steven Fletcher physically very well at times.
When a player does this for his team, you have to appreciate it as a manager.
Loser: The Referee
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Inconsistent is perhaps the nice way of describing referee Kevin Friend's performance on Saturday afternoon; The Stadium of Light may have other choice words.
It was a combative game to say the least, but we saw myriad "similar" challenges (in severity) that were punished differently. A late slide-tackle on the counter is a yellow, a foul or nothing—not all three!
Mikel Arteta could easily have been red-carded after pulling a Nigel de Jong on Jack Rodwell.
