Mikel Arteta Reacts After Sunderland Ends Arsenal’s Unbeaten and Clean-Sheet Streak
- Mikel Arteta has shared his thoughts after Sunderland held Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light
- Brian Bobbey’s late equaliser rescued a point for Sunderland and ended Arsenal’s winning run
- Daniel Ballard’s first-half strike was the first time that the Gunners had conceded in nine matches
Mikel Arteta has shared his thoughts after newly promoted side Sunderland held Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, November 8, 2025.
Arsenal held a record of 10 consecutive wins and eight clean sheets before visiting Sunderland, and the home side ensured that they lost both records before leaving.
Source: Getty Images
The Cats went into halftime in the lead thanks to Daniel Ballard’s first-half strike, which was the first goal Arsenal conceded in 811 minutes, as noted by The Athletic.
Bukayo Saka equalised for Arsenal in the 54th minute, and Leandro Trossard put the Gunners in the lead in the 74th minute with a brilliant goal.
The Gunners appeared to be running away with the victory, but Brian Brobbey’s 94th-minute strike denied them maximum points away from home.
Arsenal remained at the top of the Premier League table with 26 points, while Sunderland moved up to third with 19 points, tied with Manchester City.
Arteta reacts to Arsenal’s draw
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta expressed disappointment at not being able to see out the win, which ultimately cost the team its winning streak.
“Obviously, the last feeling is disappointment and frustration because we wanted the three points,” he told arsenal.com.
He admitted that he felt pain in his tummy after conceding Ballard's strike, which ended their clean sheet streak, as he did not want to concede.
“A pain in my tummy because I don’t want to concede any goals. And it was a goal obviously that was putting the game in a difficult position,” he added.
Former Arsenal player Granit Xhaka led Sunderland against the Gunners, and Arteta admitted that they were a difficult side to deal with.
“We had to navigate through a really tough game; we knew that. It was very disruptive; we have to deal with situations that are difficult to deal with,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
“We knew that from the beginning, but that's the Premier League. You don't get to any place in the Premier League where you think you're going to have a comfortable afternoon, evening, however you want to call it.”
“And again, it's not a coincidence what they are doing. They deserve to be where they are, and we do as well,” he concluded.
Arsenal will head into the international break top of the Premier League table. Arteta will hope his players return fit with games against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea on the bounce.
Arsenal broke a 122-year-old record
Legit.ng previously reported that Arsenal broke a 122-year-old record after beating Slavia Praha 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League group stage match.
It was the first time since 1903 that the Gunners have won eight consecutive matches while keeping a clean sheet, showing how brilliant Arteta's side has been.
Don't miss out! Join Legit.ng's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Source: Legit.ng
