Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's loss to Arsenal and these were my key conclusions

Sunderland fell to a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on Saturday night.

Phil Smith was there for The Echo and these were his key conclusions…

Sunderland emerge from frustrating defeat with credit

Régis Le Bris said afterwards that proud and disappointed were the two words on his mind.

With that, he probably spoke for the Sunderland fanbase. Bukayo Saka’s penalty to secure the three points for the visitors was not met with boos or anger, but instead an appreciation for the effort Le Bris’s players had put in over the course of the 90 minutes.

If ever there was a game to demonstrate how football games are won and lost on fine margins, especially against the very best teams, this was it. Saka’s penalty was arguably worse than Enzo Le Fee’s earlier in the half, but the Sunderland man was denied by an outstanding David Raya save. Just 122 seconds passed between that save and substitute Bruno Guimaraes scoring an outstanding long-range striker off the underside of the bar, changing the course of a game that Sunderland were well and truly growing into.

Le Bris felt they had been a little bit tentative in the first half, understandably respectful of the threat Arsenal proved in transition and so just a touch too reluctant to take risks in possession. The visitors had impressed in moments without sparkling, though the Black Cats were clearly fortunate that Saka and Kai Havertz passed up two very good chances over the course of the half.

Though Mikel Arteta’s side did create some good chances as you would expect as Sunderland were forced to push more bodies forward in search of an equaliser, there were times when their box was under severe pressure and that they emerged unscathed was by Arteta’s own judgement down a little to luck as well as skill.

After Bruno’s goal, the Arsenal fans sang ‘that’s why we’re Champions’ and in fairness, they were right. A world-class goalkeeper, a strong defensive unit and quality in the final third. In the closing stages, they also again demonstrated that they are the masters of the dark arts as they sucked Sunderland into wasting time with off-ball melees and cheap fouls.

Arsenal showed here why they will likely lift the title again in May but from a Sunderland perspective, there was a lot of encouragement to take. It’s a little bit of a cliché but if they produce this level every week, it is going to be a good season.

Improving individuals give Le Bris more cause for encouragement

The World Cup was always going to impact a number of players in the squad at the start of this campaign and one of the more heartening aspects of this game was more evidence that a number of those players are now clearly edging back to their best level.

This was surely Granit Xhaka’s best game of the season, the midfielder playing some excellent passes as he always does but also producing a tenacious performance out of possession. The occasion and the calibre of the opposition seemed to bring the best out of him and that will be key moving forward for this team. Likewise, Brian Brobbey has been steadily improving from a quiet start to the campaign and he was a nightmare for the Arsenal defence here. The lack of goals from open play is clearly a concern for Sunderland but if Brobbey keeps playing at this intensity and the team can get more players around him in the box against less imposing opposition, it is surely only a matter of time.

Though not involved with the World Cup, Dan Ballard’s pre-season was impacted in part by ankle surgery that meant the club had to be careful with his workload in the summer games. His last two performances have Ballard at his dominant best; another very good sign for the months ahead.

Late red gives Le Bris a headache for Manchester City

Though there is some debate over whether a foul was actually committed inside the box by Reinildo, that he pulled back Saka and was fairly shown a second yellow card was clear.

It leaves Le Bris with an interesting decision to make when Sunderland travel to Manchester City next Sunday as a very tricky opening run of fixtures continues. On the one hand, it’s a perfect opportunity to bring Dayann Methalie into the side and give him his first taste of Premier League football following his bumper summer move from Toulouse. Against a strong Manchester City on home turf, however, can you rule out Le Bris instead turning to Trai Hume? His experience and 1-v-1 defending speaks for itself and he’s never let his head coach down on his weaker side. Sunderland have AZ Alkmaar to negotiate first but it’s an interesting decision for Le Bris.

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Sunderland can go into historic clash with confidence

Though there was obvious disappointment for Sunderland fans after this defeat, the occasion and the quality of the game served to further whet the appetite for the club’s first European fixture in over 50 years.

This performance was a reminder that Sunderland have every chance of going on a genuine run in the competition, and suggested that the team is in a strong place ahead of a fixture that many fans have waited a lifetime for. It’s an incredible team to be following Sunderland.

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