Arsenal survive Sunderland to stay perfect

Mikel Arteta's side went into the game top of the Premier League after four rounds, unbeaten with 12 points, the kind of start that gets people talking about title credentials in September rather than May. A trip to the Stadium of Light was never going to be a formality, and Capital Sports described Sunderland as stubborn hosts who made Arsenal work for it.

Raya holds the line

Raya's involvement was the difference between a hard away point and a hard-fought away win. Capital Sports credited him with the kind of intervention that keeps a scoreline intact when a home crowd is pushing for something. Whatever Sunderland threw at him at the Stadium of Light, he was there to deal with it.

The result

Arsenal came into the weekend with four wins from four, no draws, no losses. Sunderland's plan looked to be built around frustrating Arsenal into mistakes and making the away side uncomfortable at set pieces and in transition. It didn't produce a goal, and Raya's saves closed off the moments where it nearly did.

The scoreline details beyond Raya's contribution weren't laid out in the available reporting, but the outcome is the headline: still unbeaten, still top, and still finding ways to win when it isn't easy.