Arsenal extended their perfect start to the season with a nail-biting 2–0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday evening. The Gunners arrived to the Stadium of Light with five wins in their first five matches in 2026–27, eager to keep up their winning ways. Except Sunderland looked ready to play spoiler at every turn, giving the defending English champions a physical battle from the opening whistle. There was little drama in the opening 45 minutes, but the second half delivered goals, penalties and a flurry of bookings. Sunderland thought they had the edge when they won a penalty in the 56th minute, but David Raya denied Enzo Le Fée. Two minutes later, Bruno Guimarães curled home a sensational strike from 25 yards out to swing the momentum back in Arsenal’s favor. The hosts had several more glorious opportunities to bag an equalizer, but came up short each time. Bukayo Saka then won a penalty in stoppage time and converted from the spot, giving Mikel Arteta’s men the insurance goal they desperately craved—but ultimately did not need. The Gunners walked away with three points and another clean sheet. Heroes & Villains HeroesDavid Raya (right) made a brilliant penalty save. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesDavid Raya bailing Arsenal out is boderline routine at this point. The goalkeeper, who took home the last three Premier League Golden Glove awards, was desperately needed in the 56th minute when his side conceded a penalty. The Spaniard stared down Enzo Le Fée, guessed the correct way and made a brilliant save with his outstretched fingertips. Just two minutes after Raya’s heroics, Bruno Guimarães put on his cape at the other end of the pitch. The blockbuster summer signing, who came on at halftime, tried his luck from distance and unleashed a simply superb curling strike to give Arsenal the 1–0 lead. Villains Kai Havertz was off the mark on Saturday. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesNo one will be more thankful Raya saved the penalty than Ezri Konsa. The center back bulldozed Dan Ballard into the ground on a set piece and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. It would have been a long journey back to north London had the defensive blunder made Arsenal drop points.Kai Havertz has put together a sensational start to the season, but the German was off the mark on Saturday. The visitors’ best chances fell to the forward and he failed to convert every single one. Perhaps standards are too high after his impressive run of form, but he was glaringly missing the end product in a game that Arsenal was crying out for a larger cushion. Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Sunderland (4-2-3-1)Arsenal kept their perfect start rolling. | Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images*Ratings provided by FotMob*GK: David Raya—9.0: Came up huge with a penalty save to keep Arsenal in the game and played hero in the dying stages to maintain a clean sheet. Showed every bit why he is nominated for the Yashin Trophy. RB: Ben White—6.5: His positive moments going forward were balanced by nervy moments at the other end of the pitch, none worse than when Nilson Angulo blitzed by him just before halftime. Came off with an apparent groin injury. CB: Ezri Konsa—7.4: Wrestled Dan Ballard to the ground, gifting Sunderland a penalty. Came out on the losing side of his battle with Brian Brobbey on several occasions, but used his strength to cause just enough havoc under pressure. CB: Gabriel—8.1: Looked utterly perplexed when he was forced to come off the pitch for a minute after he made the most of a challenge from the hosts. Uncharacteristically scrambled at times, but still as dominant as ever in the air. LB: Riccardo Calafiori—6.9: Lacked some of the splendor he’s played with so far this season. Missing the end product in the final third, but held firm defensively. CM: Declan Rice—8.3: Punished Sunderland nearly every time he had enough time and space to get his head up, and walked away with an assist because of it. Most of his services were needed in defense, though. Played with relentless energy. CM: Myles Lewis-Skelly—6.0: Not his best. Stifled promising spells of possession with errant passes, lost duels or desperate fouls. Hooked at halftime.RW: Bukayo Saka—8.6: Missed an incredible chance in the early stages and never really recovered. Salvaged a frustrating night with a late penalty. AM: Martin Ødegaard—8.0: Not stopping his stellar season anytime soon. His elite playmaking stole the show, even if his teammates let him down in the end. LW: Christos Tzolis—6.7: Extremely quiet. Did not create a single chance or muster a single shot. Virtually a bystander for 82 minutes. ST: Kai Havertz—6.8: Failed to finish off two quality chances in the first half. Things didn’t go much better in the second half. A rare disappointing outing. SUB: Jurriën Timber (46’ for White)—6.6: Unsurprisingly still shaking off rust, but put together a solid 45 minutes. Saw a goal wiped away by the offside flag. SUB: Bruno Guimarães (46’ for Lewis-Skelly)—7.7: Curled home a world class goal to unlock the game and open his account as an Arsenal player.SUB: Eberechi Eze (81’ for Tzolis)—N/A SUB: Martín Zubimendi (81’ for Rice)—N/ASUB: Mikel Merino (82’ for Ødegaard)—N/A Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Jurriën Timber, Piero Hincapié, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres.What the Ratings Tell UsJurriën Timber made his season debut. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesJurriën Timber made his long-awaited return after a groin injury kept him largely sidelined since March. Throwing the Dutchman into a high intensity match for 45 minutes is likely not the reintroduction plan Arteta had in mind, but there was little choice after Ben White pulled up with an issue. Still, the Spanish boss will be delighted to have the defender back, strengthening his already stacked backline. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s days in Arteta’s XI are over. The England international had a strong start to the campaign, but a recent string of underwhelming outings, including Saturday’s performance, opened the door for Bruno Guimarães to finally stake his claim alongside Declan Rice. The change was always coming, but it will leave a bitter taste for Lewis-Skelly that it came after a rather poor 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light. Christos Tzolis had a night to forget. The summer signing’s contributions ultimately weren’t needed on Saturday, but his lack of goalscoring could cause problems for Arsenal down the line. On nights when Havertz and Ødegaard aren’t producing, Arteta needs his left winger to be decisive—and the jury is still out on whether the Greece international can deliver when his supporting cast is not at their best. The Numbers That Explain Arsenal’s Clutch WinArsenal were a bit lackluster in the final third on Saturday, but they still managed to take 11 shots and rack up a 1.97 xG. It wasn’t exactly spellbinding attacking soccer, but it was enough for three points.The Gunners were uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball. Arteta’s men only had a 83% passing accuracy, a far cry from their 92% against Napoli midweek. Sunderland will be gobsmacked they could not find the back of the net at least once after sending 12 shots Raya’s way and maintaining 42% possession. But they failed to bury any of their three big chances. StatisticSunderlandArsenalPossession42%58%Expected Goals (xG)1.641.97Total Shots1211Shots on Target35Big Chances33Pass Accuracy77%83%Fouls Committed1811Corners42Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow