This match perhaps won’t live long in the collective memory. There wasn’t any individual moment of brilliance that’ll be replayed for years to come, no tactical innovation that will be talked about, no drama that will be part of end-of-season montages. It was a rather workmanlike dispatching of a mid-table opposition which saw us open a nine point lead at the top of the table.

A 3-0 victory over Sunderland, courtesy of a Martin Zubimendi strike and a Viktor Gyokeres brace, has given us not only a big points lead but also a huge psychological advantage. For the first time since the 2003-04 season, the last time we won this league, Arsenal hold a nine-point cushion at the summit.

Which means Manchester City will travel to Anfield tomorrow knowing that they must beat Liverpool to hang on to our coattails. The results of this matchweek could very well decide the winners of this season’s league.

We knew this match represented exactly the kind of test that has tripped us up before. In the away fixture at the Stadium of Light in November, we dominated for long stretches, controlled possession, created chances, but threw away two points in the dying minutes, drawing 2-2.

The Black Cats arrived at the Emirates with a clear game plan. They wanted to sit deep, stay compact, frustrate our buildup, and hope to nick something on the counter or from a set piece. For a newly promoted side, they have done extremely well for themselves, sitting ninth on the table. However, their form away from home hasn’t been good recently. Their last victory on the road was against Chelsea in October.

The game unfolded as expected. It was a stop-start affair, lacking any flow or rhythm. Sunderland defended in numbers, got physical in the tackle, and broke up play at every opportunity. They were organized, disciplined, and utterly committed to making this as difficult as possible. Brian Brobbey led the line with the kind of physicality that made things a little uncomfortable for our backline early on. We dominated possession and probed openings, but weren’t really threatening.

The match could have taken a very different trajectory in the opening minutes when Kai Havertz found himself completely unmarked just eight yards out, but planted his header just wide.

We survived a scare when David Raya, normally so assured, fumbled a free kick into the area. The ball fell to Brobbey with the goal gaping, but Havertz, atoning for his earlier miss, produced a heroic goal-line clearance to keep us level.

Declan Rice came close with a curling effort from distance that drifted agonizingly wide. Havertz tried his luck from a similar position on the opposite flank. Leandro Trossard saw a shot blocked after we worked a short corner. But for all our possession, for all our territorial dominance, clear-cut chances remained elusive. Sunderland's defenders were doing everything their manager asked of them.

By the 40th minute, we'd managed just two shots on target.

Then, in the 42nd minute, Martin Zubimendi provided the breakthrough we desperately needed.

Omar Alderete, Sunderland's Paraguayan international, was caught in possession by Noni Madueke. We worked the ball to the opposite flank, and Trossard, who had been lively throughout the first half, rolled the ball into Zubimendi's path on the edge of the area.

What followed was a moment of pure technical excellence. The Spaniard struck with his laces, the ball leaving his boot with just enough slice to arc beautifully past Robin Roefs, clipping the inside of the post on its way into the net. This was his sixth goal of the season - two more than he's ever managed in a single campaign in his career.

He celebrated the goal by heading straight to the corner flag to mimic the injured Mikel Merino's signature celebration. It was a gesture of solidarity, of squad unity, of the collective spirit that Arteta has cultivated in this team.

The second half began with Sunderland showing more ambition, more willingness to push forward. Chemsdine Talbi forced a fine save from Raya. Then came another heart-in-mouth moment when Raya mis-kicked an attempted clearance, leaving us exposed. Gabriel Magalhaes produced a last-ditch tackle on Trai Hume to bail out Raya.

We needed was a second goal to kill the game and Arteta introduced Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli in place of Gabriel Jesus and Madueke around the hour mark. The substitutions proved decisive. Gyokeres had his seventh Premier League goal of the season six minutes after coming on. Sunderland's right-back Nordi Mukiele lost possession in a dangerous area and Trossard played in Havertz. The German, who seems to be developing a strong connection with the Swedish international on the pitch,
squared the ball to him. One touch with his right foot, and then, on his way to the floor, Gyokeres angled his strike past Roefs. The Sunderland goalkeeper got a hand to it but couldn't keep it out.

A two-goal cushion against an opponent with just six away goals all season meant the points were ours.

The third goal arrived in stoppage time, another Sunderland error providing the catalyst. Reinildo misjudged a challenge on the halfway, allowing Gabriel Martinelli a clear run at goal. The Brazilian, instead of shooting himself, showcased unselfishness and awareness by rolling the ball to Gyokeres, who had an easy tap-in into an empty net.

The narrative seems to be now shifting around our striker. This was his eighth league goal of the season. He has scored six goals since the turn of the year across all competitions. He has eight goal involvements in his last eight games. He has scored more goals than any other Premier League player in 2026.

We have now scored nine goals via substitutes in the Premier League this season, which is more than any other team. That statistic encapsulates everything Arteta and Andrea Berta have built here. The squad they have assembled is the strongest in the league and perhaps in Europe. Where the drop-off from first choice to backup is minimal, where fresh legs can change matches, and competition for places elevates everyone.

An elite striker like Gyokeres coming off the bench and scoring twice is the sort of luxury that title winners possess. When Gabriel Jesus and Havertz are fit and starting, when Gyokeres can be deployed as an impact player in the final thirty minutes against tiring defenses, we become incredibly difficult to stop.

The victory over Sunderland extended some remarkable home statistics for us. Arsenal now have 32 points from 12 home matches this season, which is the most in the Premier League. We've conceded just eight goals at the Emirates all season, which is the fewest in the league. These numbers are no coincidence. They're the product of meticulous planning, tactical discipline, and a fortress mentality instilled by Arteta that makes the Emirates one of the most intimidating venues in European football.

Sunderland boss Le Bris acknowledged as much in his post-match comments: "They are top of the league, they are top of the Champions League. We feel the experience, we feel the quality. They built this team over many years. They are really well-rounded in every part of their game."

Opponents recognise the monster that this Arsenal is. This isn’t the Arsenal of old who would dominate possession but lack the bite. This is a team that suffocates opponents, that forces errors, that capitalizes ruthlessly on mistakes, that manages games with cold-blooded efficiency.

The math is now overwhelmingly in our favour. Nine points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa. With 13 matches remaining, our destiny is entirely in our hands.

Sunday's match at Anfield looms enormous. Liverpool will be motivated to exact revenge for their earlier loss at the Etihad. They lie sixth on the table and would desperately try to finish in the top four. If Liverpool can do us a favour and beat City, then this nine-point advantage going into the final stretch will become extremely difficult for City to make up.

Over to you, Liverpool.

Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Havertz, Trossard, Madueke, Jesus.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, White, Hincapie, Eze, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Norgaard, Lewis-Skelly.

Sunderland: Roefs, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Mandava, Hume, Sadiki, Le Fee, Diarra, Talbi, Brobbey.
Subs: Ellborg, Geertruida, Cirkin, Rigg, O'Nien, Mundle, Angulo, Isidor, Mayenda.