Arsenal's winning streak ends as Brian Brobbey's late equaliser gives Sunderland dramatic draw
Arsenal's impressive winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Saturday when Brian Brobbey produced an acrobatic stoppage-time leveller to secure Sunderland a thrilling 2-2 draw, offering a lifeline to Premier League title contenders Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool in the race for top spot.
Mikel Arteta's table-toppers now hold 26 points with a six-point cushion over London rivals Chelsea ahead of third-placed Manchester City (19 points) hosting champions Liverpool (18 points) in sixth position on Sunday.
Chelsea moved into second place following a dominant 3-0 victory over bottom-dwelling Wolverhampton Wanderers, further extending the visitors' woeful losing run.
Manchester United rescued a point through Matthijs de Ligt's injury-time header in a 2-2 stalemate at Tottenham Hotspur, while Everton secured a 2-0 triumph over Fulham and West Ham United edged Burnley 3-2 in a clash between two teams battling near the danger zone.
Sunderland end Arsenal's defensive record
At the Stadium of Light, Dan Ballard fired high-flying Sunderland ahead in the 36th minute, becoming the first player to breach Arsenal's defence across nine consecutive matches.
The Gunners appeared destined for an 11th consecutive victory after Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, who unleashed an unstoppable strike beyond Robin Roefs, reversed the home team's advantage.
However, Brobbey intervened dramatically in the 94th minute with remarkable athleticism, volleying past David Raya from close quarters to rob the league leaders of all three points and ignite euphoric celebrations among the home supporters.
Ballard suggested the draw, which maintains Sunderland's impressive fourth-place position on 19 points, carried the significance of a victory.
"I'd say so, it's a good morale boost to show we can go against a really top team - probably one of the best in Europe at the minute - and delighted with that," he told the BBC.
"But it is just one point and we've got a lot of work to do to achieve our goal of staying up this year."
Chelsea dominate Wolves after halftime transformation
Chelsea cruised past Wolves courtesy of second-half strikes from Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto at Stamford Bridge.
The home side controlled proceedings from kickoff but an unproductive opening period drew jeers from the crowd at halftime before Gusto finally unlocked the defence in the 51st minute.
"They (Wolves) were compact in the first half, we struggled to find space between the lines," Gusto told the BBC. "The second half was better, we found each other more easily and that's why we scored the first goal.
"Three points (are) important before the international break. We are here for the top four, that's our aim."
Enzo Maresca's charges trail leaders Arsenal by six points, while Wolves remain anchored at the bottom with just two points from 11 fixtures, marking the poorest opening in the club's history.
De Ligt rescues Manchester United at Tottenham
In North London, De Ligt's dramatic late header secured United a share of the spoils at Spurs, neutralising Richarlison's previous header.
Bryan Mbeumo had given United the lead after 32 minutes before Mathys Tel restored parity in the 84th minute. Richarlison then edged Spurs in front during stoppage time, only for De Ligt to convert from a Bruno Fernandes corner delivery.
Both sides sit on 18 points alongside Liverpool and Bournemouth, though Spurs occupy fifth position while United languish in eighth due to inferior goal difference.
United manager Ruben Amorim expressed disappointment despite their late salvage point.
"We have a lot of problems," he said. "We are just in the beginning. I know that sometimes the results show to people that we are improving ... but we have a lot to do."
Everton defeated Fulham through goals from Idrissa Gueye immediately before halftime and Michael Keane late on from a corner kick.
The Toffees ascended to 11th position with 15 points, while Fulham slipped to 15th, sitting merely one point above the relegation zone.
West Ham recovered from a deficit to defeat Burnley 3-2 at the London Stadium, with late contributions from substitutes Tomas Soucek and Kyle Walker-Peters clinching the victory.
The triumph elevates the Hammers level on 10 points with Burnley, who remain in the safety zone immediately above them on goal difference.
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