Arsenal solidified their position at the top of the Premier League table, defeating Sunderland 3-0 in a hard-fought match at the Emirates Stadium on the evening of 7/2. The win in round 25 extended their lead over Manchester City to nine points, placing significant pressure on their title rivals. The first half saw a tense and balanced affair, with both teams approaching the game cautiously, primarily probing each other's defenses. Arsenal held less possession, with 49%, and faced several challenges from Sunderland's sharp counter-attacks.

Sunderland nearly opened the scoring in the 8th minute. From a free-kick, goalkeeper David Raya mishandled the ball, allowing Brian Brobbey an opportunity to shoot at the open goal. However, Kai Havertz quickly tracked back, clearing the ball off the goal line.

Martin Zubimendi (left) scores from outside the box to open the scoring in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Sunderland in Premier League round 25 at Emirates Stadium, London, England on 7/2. Photo: Arsenal FC

The deadlock was broken in the 42nd minute by Martin Zubimendi. Leandro Trossard drew two Sunderland players on the left wing before laying the ball back to Zubimendi, who struck a first-time shot towards the near post. The ball rebounded off the post and into the net, leaving goalkeeper Robin Roefs' dive as a mere backdrop to the spectacular strike. This marked the Spanish midfielder's fifth Premier League goal for Arsenal this season, trailing only Viktor Gyokeres, who has six.

Sunderland continued to threaten in the second half. In the 49th minute, a quick exchange between Brian Brobbey and Noah Sadiki near the penalty area set up Chemsdine Talbi on the left wing, whose powerful shot towards the far corner forced a full-stretch save from Raya. Moments later, Trai Hume's one-two pass put Le Fee in a scoring position inside Arsenal's box, but Zubimendi once again intervened, clearing the danger for the "Gunners".

Mirroring the first half, Arsenal weathered the difficult periods before punishing Sunderland with a pivotal goal. In the 69th minute, Kai Havertz broke free on the left side of the penalty area and delivered a cross to Viktor Gyokeres. Despite losing his balance, the Swedish striker managed to unleash a powerful shot, beating Robin Roefs and doubling Arsenal's lead.

Viktor Gyokeres celebrates with Gabriel Martinelli. Photo: Reuters

In the first leg of the Premier League season at the Stadium of Light, Arsenal also scored two goals but were held to a 2-2 draw after Sunderland found the net in the fourth minute of stoppage time. However, in this rematch, the narrative shifted, with the "Gunners" sealing the opponent's hopes of securing a point in injury time.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli outpaced Reinildo Mandava before providing a perfect assist for Gyokeres to tap into an empty net, completing his brace and securing the 3-0 victory. Since the start of 2026, no Premier League player has scored more goals across all competitions than the Swedish forward, who has five.

This emphatic victory at the Emirates temporarily extended Arsenal's lead over Manchester City, who are set to visit reigning champions Liverpool today, to nine points. This marks the first time the "Gunners" have established such a significant gap since the final round of their unbeaten 2003-2004 season, when they held an 11-point advantage. That season also marked Arsenal's most recent Premier League title.