Arsenal extends their lead over Man City by nine points in the Premier League

Football results - A comfortable win against Sunderland in round 25 allowed Arsenal to increase their lead over Man City by nine points in the Premier League title race.

The first half of the match between Arsenal and Sunderland started at a fairly high tempo right from the opening minutes.

With home advantage, Arsenal quickly pushed forward and created the first chance when Kai Havertz’s header narrowly missed the post. Sunderland responded with aggressive play, continuously applying pressure and committing several fouls, leading referee Samuel Barrott to issue warnings to visiting players like Brian Brobbey and Habib Diarra.

In the middle of the half, the "Gunners" clearly took control of the game. Noni Madueke and Leandro Trossard were very active on the wings, constantly producing breakthroughs and corners. Gabriel Jesus had a one-on-one chance with goalkeeper Robin Roefs in the 34th minute but failed to capitalize. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz also tried their luck from outside the box but without success.

The turning point came in the 42nd minute when Martin Zubimendi unleashed a beautiful long-range shot from the edge of the box, the ball hitting the post before going straight into the net. In the final minutes of the half, the visitors tried hard to equalize but their shots were either off target or saved by David Raya.

At the start of the second half, Chemsdine Talbi controlled and fired a dangerous shot from the edge of the box, forcing goalkeeper David Raya to make a brilliant save. On the other side, Arsenal continued to apply pressure with crosses from Calafiori and Trossard, though Sunderland’s defense remained focused.

From the 60th minute, coach Mikel Arteta began to introduce attacking substitutions. Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, and then Eberechi Eze were brought on to strengthen the offense. These changes quickly paid off. In the 66th minute, Kai Havertz delivered a precise pass allowing Gyokeres to finish neatly inside the box, doubling Arsenal’s lead to 2–0.

After conceding, Sunderland pushed forward with crosses and multiple substitutions, but the clearest chances belonged to Arsenal, with Eberechi Eze narrowly missing the target by hitting the post. In the final minutes, the pace slowed down, chances became scarce, and neither side made further breakthroughs. However, the hosts managed to add a third goal by Gyokeres during stoppage time.

In the end, Arsenal secured a 3-0 victory over Sunderland. This result allowed Mikel Arteta’s team to temporarily extend their lead over Man City to nine points, despite having played one more match. Sunderland, meanwhile, remain in 9th place with 36 points.