Photo via BBC Sport

'Today the game was unprotected' - Arteta fumes but Arsenal survive

Arsenal extended their top-flight winning streak to nine consecutive matches—their best run since the 2003-04 campaign—with a hard-fought 2-0 triumph away against Sunderland. The outcome hinged on an intense two-minute sequence around the hour mark, beginning when referee John Brooks penalized Ezri Konsa for tangling with Dan Ballard at a set piece, a ruling confirmed upon video review.

David Raya preserved the deadlock by pushing Enzo Le Fee's subsequent spot kick against the woodwork, allowing replacement Bruno Guimaraes to shatter the parity at the opposite end moments later via a shot off the frame.

Despite securing maximum points, Mikel Arteta voiced immense frustration over the penalty decision, arguing that Ballard had initiated the grappling contact and that technology had failed to properly safeguard the sport. The Arsenal manager, who had earlier received a yellow card for straying beyond his technical boundaries, insisted that replay evidence demonstrated no foul play by Konsa, prompting widespread debate among observers regarding the league's updated enforcement against penalty-box wrestling.