English Premier League - Arsenal salvages a point at Sunderland

Sunderland boss Roy Keane had not taken a point from one of the EPL's big four before today, but looked to be heading for all three points until the Spaniard's intervention.   The match was Sunderland's first at home since they edged past League One Northampton in the Carling Cup, when the manager was abused by a minority of the club's own fans.   Having turned in a below-par display in the previous home game against derby rivals Middlesbrough before staging a late smash and grab raid, the Irishman had left his players in little doubt as to what would be required when the Gunners arrived on Wearside.

When he welcomed his side back into the dressing room at the break, he could certainly not have faulted their effort or commitment, and but for Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, they might even have been ahead.   The Black Cats had to play second fiddle for long periods and found themselves defending deep and in numbers as the visitors dominated possession without creating too many clear-cut chances.   Alex Song, back in the side after a hip injury, perhaps should have done better with a 12th minute header, and Denilson whipped a shot across Craig Gordon and just wide of the post on the stroke of halftime.   But it was opposite number Almunia who had to make the more telling interventions as he and Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse found themselves engaged in a duel.

Twice within as many minutes, only the Spaniard stood in Cisse's way with the home fans on their feet. Theo Walcott's poor backpass put the Frenchman in on goal with quarter of an hour gone, although the keeper blocked his shot from a tight angle.   Two minutes later, Cisse unleashed a longrange effort which dipped and swerved on the blustery wind and forced Almunia to tip it over the bar at the last moment.   The Gunners failed to make the most of their share of the possession with striker Emmanuel Adebayor doing most of his best work well outside the box.

However, Arsenal returned in determined mood and the Wearsiders found themselves pinned back deep inside their own half.   Adebayor embarrassed defender George McCartney with a dropped shoulder, but wasted the opening with a poor cross, and Walcott's driven ball was only just too strong for van Persie.   Danny Collins took the ball off Adebayor's toe after the striker's touch let him down with 49 minutes gone, and the striker then headed van Persie's corner just off target.

Cisse wasted a counterattack when he shot harmlessly wide from a difficult angle with support arriving, but the visitors thought they had taken the lead with 56 minutes gone.   Walcott forced the ball across from the goalline for van Persie to blast home, but the officials controversially ruled it had gone out of play before the England international had got to it.   Gordon spilled an Adebayor volley and Richardson tested Almunia from distance as the game opened up, but Reid should have done better with a 62nd minute freekick which he curled tamely into the keeper's arms.

Wenger replaced the disappointing Walcott and Denilson with Nicklas Bendtner and Samir Nasri, and the Frenchman might have won it 13 minutes from time when he was picked out by Adebayor inside the box.   However, he could only stab his shot weakly at Gordon, who distinguished himself eight minutes from time with a point-blank block from van Persie's volley.   The deadlock was finally broken with four minutes remaining when Leadbitter drilled the ball past Almunia and in off the underside of the bar, although the drama did not end there.  With the game in the third of four minutes of stoppage time, Fabregas headed van Persie's corner home to snatch a point and rescue his side.