Great Games in Football History: Sunderland Tops Arsenal 5-4 in 1935

Sunderland 5 v 4 Arsenal

Roker Park, Sunderland, 28 December 1935

Football League Division 1, Attendance 59,250

Sunderland Scorers

Davis 7, Gallacher 18, Carter 35, Pen.44, Connor 57

Arsenal Scorers

Bastin Pen.27, Drake 48, Bowden 53, Clark (OG) 75

Sunderland

Thorpe, Morrison, Hall, Thomson, Clark, McNab, Davis, Carter, Gurney, Gallacher, Connor

Arsenal

Moss, Male, Hapgood, Crayston, Roberts, Copping, Rogers, Bowden, Drake, Bastin, Beasley

A crowd of 59,250 people saw the league-leaders Sunderland beat the league champions Arsenal by 5-4 at Roker Park.

That result increased Sunderland’s lead at the top of the table to seven points over Derby and Huddersfield, and the gate brought the aggregate Roker attendance for 11 games to approximately 400,000.

These two facts prove that Sunderland football was on the crest of a wave of prosperity, and there are indications that the wave would rise even higher. The game was worthy of the pre-match publicity and public patronage accorded it.

It was a titanic struggle.

In the first half, the Arsenal defence, all six members internationals, were just about as impotent in the face of Sunderland’s onslaught as was King Canute in his attempt to repel the tide.

When last did Arsenal concede four goals in the first 45 minutes and five in a game?

Elegant tribute to the penetrative power of the Sunderland attack, an attack which has scored 68 goals, more than any of the league's 88 clubs. When the interval was reached with Sunderland leading 4-1, and the Arsenal defence panic-stricken, as witnessed by the wild kicking of the full backs, the crowd must have had visions of a huge goal total.

But it did not turn out that way.

After the interval, Sunderland lost their goal thrust, and Arsenal staged a recovery, which all but saved a point. Opinion was that an injury to Gallacher, which necessitated him switching with Connor a few minutes after the break, may have been the reason.

The attack lost its snap in consequence, throwing more work on the rear divisions and allowing the initiative to pass to Arsenal. Later injuries to Carter and McNab further assisted the visitor in their great fight back. One cannot deny the Wearsiders were worthy winners, and Arsenal courageous in defeat.

As for the luck in the game, this was evenly shared.

Each team got a penalty goal, and each team got one goal of the streaky kind. Carter scored one for Sunderland, which Arsenal goalkeeper Moss ought to have saved, instead of allowing the ball to pass under his body.

And the shot with which Bowden scored Arsenal's first goal would never have been registered, but for a defender's leg deflecting the ball out of Thorpe’s reach.

Just one other lucky incident.

Sunderland should have been awarded a second penalty when Gallacher was brought down almost in the goal mouth, with the goal at his mercy. 

In such a game in which every player put in maximum effort, one is reluctant to single out individuals for special praise, but one cannot withhold medals for McNab and Drake.

McNab shirked nothing despite his lack of inches and weight, and was always striving to engineer attacks. It was his superb dribble and pass that made Carter's goal possible.

Drake, big, strong, fast, and tenacious—and clever too—was the man who gave the Sunderland defence the most trouble. Often, it took the combined efforts of three men to stop him. It is true Drake only scored once, but he was a perpetual menace.

Davis opened the scoring after seven minutes with a grand cross shot, and Gallacher got Sunderland’s second in the 18th minute with a clever header from a Davis centre.

Next came a penalty goal for Arsenal for a foul on Bastin by Clarke. He took the kick himself to score after 27 minutes. It seemed a generous award, as the trip did not appear intentional, and Bastin had almost lost control of the ball.

Not long afterwards came Sunderland’s third goal, made by McNab and scored by Carter in the 35th min with a shot that Moss should have saved. The fourth Sunderland goal came a minute before halftime, and was a penalty scored by Carter after a push by Roberts.

There was no time to restart the game before the interval.

Almost immediately after the restart came the Gallacher-Connor switch and then a goal after 48 minutes for Drake. The centre forward managed to get in his shot despite a desperate and determined challenge by McNab.

Soon afterwards, the prospect of an easy Sunderland victory faded. Bowden reduced Arsenal's arrears with a goal headed in after 53 minutes when the ball came over from the left.

Sunderland were by no means finished, and got the best goal of the match after 57 minutes when Connor crowned glorious work with a dribble, followed by a powerful long range shot which had Moss beaten all the way.

Arsenal's fourth goal and last of the game came in the 75th minute when Bowden’s shot was turned past the goalkeeper by Clark's leg.