Source: Team_Talk
Injury-time frustration for Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger questioned the amount of injury time referee Phil Dowd awarded after the 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Saturday.[LNB] Black Cats striker Darren Bent's late equaliser denied the Gunners a Premier League away win at the Stadium of Light.[LNB]The fourth official had indicated four minutes would be added on but Bent's goal arrived five minutes into stoppage time to cancel out a fortuitous opener from Cesc Fabregas.[LNB]"It was outside the four minutes," Wenger said on ESPN.[LNB]"I know the referee can give more than four, it's a minimum of four minutes. But in the four minutes nothing happened to justify the extension of the time.[LNB]"But I cannot do anything about that."[LNB]It was a frustrating end for Arsenal, who had led after 13 minutes when Fabregas charged down an Anton Ferdinand clearance and saw the ball fly 35 yards and over a stranded Simon Mignolet.[LNB]The visitors had Alex Song sent off for a second bookable offence after 55 minutes but they should have been out of sight when Tomas Rosicky blazed a penalty over.[LNB]To add to the Gunners' woes Rosicky had come on as a first-half replacement for Fabregas, who Wenger confirmed had suffered a hamstring injury.[LNB]"It's a hamstring. How bad it is I don't know," the Frenchman said.[LNB]"I believe we battled very hard and in the second half we were the better team, but in first half we had difficulties.[LNB]"With 10 men, we were dominating the game. It is frustrating, but we have a lot of positives to take."[LNB]Speaking about Song's dismissal, he added: "I thought the the first yellow card was very harsh and on the second he makes an obstruction. We adapted quite well after that."[LNB]Bent was delighted to snatch a deserved point for his side after they had created a host of chances, especially in the opening period.[LNB]"To get that point at the end was just fantastic," he said.[LNB]"We've got that spirit at home, we just need to do that away. When we play top teams at home it is always a difficult place to come.[LNB]"We went after them first half, we had four or five chances and didn't take them.[LNB]"We are definitely going in the right direction."[LNB]Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was happy after the late breakthrough earned a point.[LNB]Prior to Saturday, all four league goals the Black Cats have conceded had come in the closing stages of matches.[LNB]But for the second successive home match, England striker Bent netted in the last minute and Bruce told ESPN: "It (conceding late goals) has happened to us repeatedly in the last 15 minutes - so it's jolly nice for it to happen to us.[LNB]"You want one of those chances to fall to Benty and I thought he earned it because his work-rate was terrific. It's not easy on your own up front.[LNB]"We worked extremely hard to be what we were. They got a fluke of a goal but I thought our first-half performance was excellent and we've got our reward."
