Arsenal conceded two goals for the first time across all competitions this season as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening.

A win for the Gunners would have allowed them to temporarily go eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who are yet to play, but they fell short in the final minutes of action.

Sunderland took the lead in the 36th minute through Daniel Ballard after he fired home a header by Nordi Mukiele as Arsenal defenders failed to immediately react to clear out the danger.

However, Arsenal equalised nine minutes into the second half after forward Bukayo Saka managed to squeeze Mikel Merino’s pass lowly into the tight corner of the post, giving the Gunners a lifeline to push for another goal.

The visitors did exactly that in the 74th minute when Leandro Trossard rocketed home a shot from outside the 18-yard box to put Arsenal ahead for the first time in the game.

Unfortunately, the victory slipped away from Arsenal inside the added time after Brian Brobbey met Daniel Ballard’s cross with an overhead kick to secure a draw for Sunderland, continuing their impressive run this season.

Sunderland remained third on the league table with 19 points, marking the best start to a new season for a newly promoted team in Premier League history.

The result ended Arsenal’s winning streak across all competitions after 10 games. It also shattered Mikel Arteta’s team’s eight-game clean sheet run in all competitions.

Speaking after the match, Arteta said, “We can defend the action better, and today we haven’t done it. We conceded the goal, and in the last minutes, we had another massive chance with Ricci [Calafiori] and Mikel [Merino] to win it, which I think we deserved to do.”

He added, “Obviously, the last feeling is disappointment and frustration because we wanted the three points, and we had to navigate through a really tough game.”

Meanwhile, Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris said if his team continues to show character, togetherness, and maintain their connection with fans, they will be difficult to beat.