Sunderland 1 Arsenal 0- Gunners lose their way without a classy Van Persie
22 Nov 2009 - 00:13:51
If Serbian horse placenta does not work, Arsenal should consider bringing on Marvo the Magician's miracle cure ... or anything else to get Robin van Persie back in action.
Arsene Wenger refused to acknowledge the absence of the Holland striker as the main reason for his team's failure to find the net for the first time in the Premier League this season, choosing instead to blame poor defending when Darren Bent scored Sunderland's 71st-minute winner.
Typically, the Arsenal manager also took a swipe at a fixture schedule which gave his side an away match immediately after an international break. 'It's always difficult to do that,' he said. 'If we had played Sunderland at home we'd have won.'
Decider: Bent (floored) nothces the winner
It was a bit of a churlish 'if' because, if it was home advantagewhich earned Sunderland a win that left Arsenal eight points behindleaders Chelsea, it was no more than they deserved.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce said: 'You have to play well to beatArsenal. You have to match them in the middle of the park and I thinkwe did that. We've played well lately without getting anything buttoday our game plan was to stifle them in midfield and we stuck to it.
'I was delighted with the performance. It was full of character and commitment and we got the win we deserved.'
For Bent, it was the perfect pick-me-up after missing a penalty atTottenham in the last league game and offering a nondescriptperformance for England against Brazil in Qatar last weekend.
Bruce said: 'It was great for him. He's had a frustrating time lately but this has put a smile back on his face.'
His goal completed a personal fabulous four against last season's top four clubs but few would be as valuable as this one.
It came five minutes after Bruce decided Bent needed more help upfront, ditching his five-man midfield by bringing on Fraizer Campbellfor Steed Malbranque.
Gutted Gunner: Cesc Fabregas of cannot fail but to show his disappointment
It worked better than Wenger's substitution on the hour when hedecided Andrey Arshavin had had enough rest after playing in Russia'sbeaten World Cup side during the week, bringing him on to replace theprecocious Aaron Ramsey. Arshavin's inept display suggested he hadn't.
Bruce greeted Bent's opportunist goal with a leap of delight after the striker got a head to Andy Reid's corner.
Then, when the ball broke off Campbell's foot, Bent reacted quicker than the Arsenal defence to fire home from close range.
Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn, watching from the directors' box,would have known how Bent felt. The former Republic of Ireland strikerscored the last Sunderland winner against Arsenal - nine years ago.
On fire: Bent notched his eighth goal of the season
The Gunners just about edged the first half but theirover-indulgence failed to produce the intended outcome, andSunderland's more industrial approach almost paid dividends whenMalbranque twice wasted chances within three minutes.
Bent's goal prompted immediate action from Wenger, Carlos Vela and Theo Walcott replacing Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo.
But Sunderland keeper Marton Fulop was never seriously troubled.Alan Wiley, having upset Sir Alex Ferguson earlier this season,incurred the Arsenal manager's wrath when he refused a penalty claimafter Campbell seemed to bring down Vela in added time.
Wenger said: 'Not to award a penalty was unacceptable. The refereewas in a perfect position. You expect more honesty from referees.'
The lunch-time draw between Liverpool and Manchester City hadpresented an opportunity for Arsenal to establish themselves ascontenders to chase Chelsea towards the title if they could extendtheir 13-game unbeaten run. Now they face acrucial home match against them next weekend.
But, when asked about that game, Wenger said curtly: 'Let's get our European Champions League match out of the way first.'
So Wenger turns out to be an unhappy loser. Well, at least he knows now how the Irish felt.
PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: All the action as it happenedAndy Townsend's Boot Room: Boy wonder Robin a hard act to followSUNDERLAND AFC
