Alan Shearer talks down Arsenal after what he saw on MOTD vs Sunderland: ‘Nothing spectacular’
Alan Shearer has insisted that Arsenal did not produce anything out of the ordinary to win against Sunderland on Saturday.
Arsenal needed all three points against Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to pull further away from Man City at the summit of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta‘s side took some time to break the Black Cats down in the first half, but did take the lead just before the interval as Martin Zubimendi found the net from long range.
The hosts went 2-0 up just after the hour mark through Viktor Gyokeres, as he made space in the box from Kai Havertz‘s cross and struck home.
Gyokeres bagged his brace in the closing stages after Gabriel Martinelli laid it on a plate for him to score into an empty net, and it ended 3-0 to Arsenal against Sunderland, but Shearer believes they were not as comfortable as they seemed.
Shearer says Sunderland ‘frustrated’ Arsenal despite 3-0 win
It was far from a routine win for the Gunners, as Sunderland actually garnered a big chance to score in the first half and had more possession of the ball.
They were limited to two shots on target in the second period until Gyokeres’ second strike deep into added-time, with the ninth-placed Black Cats still in the game right until the last.
Speaking as a pundit on Saturday’s Match of the Day, Newcastle legend Shearer praised Sunderland and insisted that they made Arsenal work hard for their three points.
He said: “I thought they (Arsenal) were very professional without being brilliant…Sunderland did really well and caused some problems for Arsenal, and frustrated them at times.
“Sunderland were always in this game, always in it, making it difficult for them…it’s a game Arsenal had to win, but there was nothing spectacular about them. They were very professional.”
Brian Brobbey should have been sent off for rash tackle on Zubimendi
Arsenal battled past their opponents to move nine points ahead of Man City at the top of the Premier League table for now, but their afternoon could have been made easier after Sunderland striker Brobbey avoided a first half dismissal.
Brobbey scored against Arsenal in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, but was fortunate not to receive his marching orders after lunging in on Zubimendi in the 40th minute.
He escaped from the challenge with just a booking, even though Tottenham’s Cristian Romero had been sent off against Man United for a similar tackle just hours earlier.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett told Football Insider that Brobbey should have been sent off for the tackle, and highlighted the referees’ inconsistencies after Romero had seen red.