Arsenal vs. Sunderland: Score, Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Arsenal ended a brief three-match Premier League winless streak with a 3-1 triumph over Sunderland at Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday.

Joel Campbell, Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey scored the Gunners' goals. The victory, paired with an earlier loss by Manchester City, moved them into second place behind Leicester City. The Black Cats' only tally came off a Giroud own goal late in the first half.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted before the match his group has struggled to find a rhythm against defensive-minded sides recently. He talked Friday about matches against Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion, where the Gunners failed to fully capitalize, as noted by Alex Richards of the Daily Mirror.

"It is difficult [to break them down]. We have about 70 per cent possession … in the two games together, we have four shots against us, but concede three goals," Wenger said. "Tomorrow we face a team who is well organized, has a strong defensive system, has confidence in their system as well."

Those concerns may have been weighing on the mind of Arsenal as they started the game in sluggish fashion. It allowed Sunderland to generate three good scoring chances in the first 10 minutes, including two for Fabio Borini. Petr Cech came to the rescue with solid goalkeeping to keep it scoreless.

Philippe Auclair of the Blizzard discussed the early disparity in the level of play:

The Gunners managed to get more involved in the match following that opening flurry for the visitors. They also scored the game's first goal courtesy of Campbell.

It started with Mesut Ozil delivering a perfect through ball between a couple of Sunderland defenders. Campbell used his terrific speed to outrace DeAndre Yedlin, who got turned around at the wrong time, and the Costa Rican international produced a calm finish to beat Costel Pantilimon.

Sky Sports Statto provided further detail about the Campbell goal:

Benjamin Valentine of Goal pointed out the American defender consistently struggled to contain a common foe from national team duty:

The Black Cats got back level shortly before the halftime whistle thanks to a fortunate deflection.

Yann M'Vila whipped in a dangerous free kick that barely eluded multiple teammates. Luckily for Sunderland, Giroud mistakenly tried to clear the ball with his left foot from a bad angle, and it instead ricocheted into the upper corner of the net for an own goal.

Barney Ronay of the Guardian joked about the mistake:

Still, Arsenal played better over the final 30 minutes of the first half, as the numbers passed along by WhoScored.com illustrated:

Giroud got a measure of redemption for his first-half error by pushing Arsenal back into the lead shortly after the hour mark.

The Gunners' second goal came from a flowing team move worthy of the highlight reel. Nacho Monreal dished a quick pass to Ramsey and made a nice run to create extra space as Ramsey found Giroud, who headed the effort past a slow-reacting Pantilimon.

OptaJoe showcased the French forward's success with headers:

Arsenal predictably began to slow down the pace of the match following the goal. Given the success Sunderland had on some counterattacks during the early stages, it wasn't time to take any risks moving forward, and they didn't.

Patrick van Aanholt had the Black Cats' best opportunity to equalize in the final minutes as he found some space to unleash a laser from just inside the box. His effort went harmlessly over the bar, however.

Not long after that, Ramsey ensured the three points for the Gunners by outworking the Sunderland defense for the side's third goal from close range.

Arsenal highlighted the result:

John Cross of the Daily Mirror summed up the match:

Looking ahead, Arsenal continue their busy stretch of action with a Champions League road clash with Olympiakos on Wednesday. It's a must-win game in the final fixture of the group stage if they want to advance to the knockout rounds.

Sunderland return to the pitch next Saturday for a Premier League meeting with Watford. The struggling Black Cats have been more effective at home this season with two wins and two draws from seven matches. It's a great chance to earn three points as they look to avoid a season-long relegation battle.

Post-Match Reaction

Arsenal noted how heavily Wenger stressed the value of the victory:

Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce felt strongly his side could have emerged with all three points with more efficient finishing when chances arose, as relayed by Greg Lea of the National:

The match certainly wasn't as lopsided as the final scoreline suggests, but Arsenal did take advantage of their opportunities and deserved the win. Now the Gunners must focus on putting together a more complete performance against Olympiacos on Wednesday.