Arsenal handed Brian Brobbey Sunderland goal verdict after Gabriel protests

Arsenal were dealt a setback at Sunderland after a late Brian Brobbey goal secured a 2-2 draw for the hosts at the Stadium of Light.

Brobbey's acrobatic effort in stoppage time sealed a point and means Arsenal's gap to Manchester City in second is only seven points instead of the nine it could have been.

Brobbey beat Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes to the ball, with the Brazilian's leading with his head to try and clear the danger.

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"I think they were maybe looking a the high boot, the way that he hooked the ball in. Gabriel's head was low and that was the only thing they had to look at," Sky Sports co-commentator Don Goodman said when reviewing the goal.

There was also some controversy surrounding Sunderland's opener through former academy star Dan Ballard, though Goodman was not having any of Arsenal's complaints.

Prior to the goal, he said: "Craig Pawson is signalling it's because he (Zubimendi) pulls him back with the arms because the challenge on the ground does not merit a yellow card.

"It doesn't have to be a yellow card, it's a foul fine but it doesn't have to be a yellow card."

After the goal was scored, he added: "There's all kinds of things that are going to be checked by VAR here. Is this a foul? No, I don't think so. Declan Rice is trying to ease him out."

It looked set to not overly matter as Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard both scored in the second half to turn the game on its head.

However, Brobbey's late goal saw them denied a victory with it also the first time they have conceded more than one goal since May.

Arsenal had a chance of their own to snatch the points in the dying embers but Ballard made a sensational block to deny Mikel Merino. Despite only earning promotion over the summer, Sunderland have been excellent and that has come as no surprise to Arteta.

"When you analyse them and you see how well organised they are, how they adjust things, the spirit that they have within the team, I'm not surprised because they fully deserve the position that they have at the moment," he admitted in a press conference when asked about Sunderland.

"So we know the type of game that we expect to play tomorrow and where the opportunities are and the things that we have to do very well to beat them and that's what we're going to try to do."