A penalty save and a 23-yard strike, two minutes apart, win a proper scrap.
The numbers
| Arsenal | Sunderland | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 57.2% | 42.8% |
| Shots | 11 | 12 |
| On target | 5 | 3 |
| xG | 1.88 | 1.8 |
| Corners | 2 | 4 |
| Pass accuracy | 82.9% | 76.4% |
Result the chances deserved: Arsenal 41% / 22% / Sunderland 38% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya, White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Ødegaard, Lewis-Skelly, Saka, Havertz, Tzolis.
Sunderland (4-3-3): Roefs, Mukiele, Danso, Ballard, Mandava, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fée, Meunier, Brobbey, Angulo.
Sunderland subs: Isidor (70'), Fofana (76'), one more at 81'. Sunderland finished with ten men after a stoppage-time red card.
Key moments, move by move
- Le Fée goes low towards the bottom corner. Raya dives to his left, full stretch.
- He pushes it onto the post and away. Two minutes later Arsenal score at the other end.
- Arsenal keep the ball alive around Sunderland's box after a Sunderland attack breaks down. Rice finds Guimarães centrally.
- One touch to set it on his right foot.
- A dipping shot flies into the top corner off the underside of the bar. His first goal for the club came off the bench.
- Deep in stoppage time Saka races clear down the right, holds off Reinildo and is brought down in the box.
- He sends the penalty low to the keeper's left. Roefs guesses right but can't reach it.
Sunderland's hybrid man-marking
- A “hybrid” press: Sunderland marked Arsenal's midfield and front three one-on-one, but left Ødegaard as the free receiver (Dan Harrison, Talking Tactics).
- The trap: the pass into Ødegaard was on, but Xhaka stepped up as soon as it arrived. Arsenal's attack ended up running almost entirely through one player.
- Sunderland's own threat was direct: long throws and balls up to Brobbey. They had more shots (12 to 11) and a penalty.
- Arteta's half-time change (Guimarães for Lewis-Skelly) added a midfielder who shoots from distance. Eleven minutes into the half, that paid off.
Recreate it in FM26
Sunderland · Sunderland's hybrid man-marking press · 4-3-3Show cardHide card
Sunderland's hybrid man-marking press
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Roefs | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper |
| RB | Mukiele | Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RCB | Danso | No-Nonsense Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Ballard | Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Mandava | Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| DM | Xhaka | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| RCM | Sadiki | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Central Midfielder |
| LCM | Le Fée | Midfield Playmaker | Pressing Central Midfielder |
| RW | Meunier | Winger | Tracking Wide Midfielder |
| ST | Brobbey | Target Forward | Centre Forward |
| LW | Angulo | Winger | Tracking Wide Midfielder |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Passing DirectnessMore Direct
- Build-Up StrategyDirect
- Attacking TransitionCounter-Attack
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementMid Block
- Trigger PressMore Often
- Pressing TrapActive
- TacklingAggressive
The idea: Mark the opposition's midfield and front three and leave one playmaker (Ødegaard) free as bait; the moment the ball reaches him, Xhaka jumps from the base of midfield. Regains go straight to Brobbey. You need an aggressive, mobile holding midfielder and a strong target forward.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 has no team-wide one-on-one marking setting, so the "free man" trap is only approximated by the Pressing Trap and the pressing roles.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Direct, Guimarães from the start (for Lewis-Skelly), Madueke on at 60' (for Tzolis). Start Guimarães so Ødegaard isn't the only free midfielder, go in behind Sunderland's man-markers earlier, and bring Madueke on for the last half-hour to run at a tiring back line. It moves Arsenal's win chance from 41% to 51% (xG 1.88–1.80 becomes 2.43–1.85). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Arsenal needed
Bruno Guimarães
Sunderland left Ødegaard as the only free receiver and jumped on him. Guimarães gave them a second midfielder to track, and his late arrivals and shooting from the edge of the box scored within 13 minutes. Starting him gives that outlet from the first whistle.
Pedri
Only Ødegaard could receive with a marker on his back, so everything ran through him. Pedri is among Europe's best at taking the ball under pressure and turning away from the man jumping on him. With both, Xhaka could not press one without freeing the other.
What the analysts said
“It's unacceptable… it's a judo roll… it's not a penalty in any game, in any league.” Arteta on the penalty award against Konsa.Mikel Arteta (NBC, Sky Sports)
Sunderland's press “forced Arsenal to play through Ødegaard solely, cutting off Saka, Tzolis and Havertz.”Dan Harrison, Talking Tactics (Yahoo Sports)
Raya was “inspired”; Sunderland were “organised, energetic and tenacious”. The game became a defensive battle that suited Konsa and Gabriel.Arseblog / Arseblog News
“He keeps us alive in the game.”Bruno Guimarães on Raya (NBC)
Two moments of quality won a game that was close to a coin flip.
What's happening. Arsenal won 2–0 at Sunderland. Raya saved a penalty, and two minutes later Guimarães scored from 23 yards. Those 121 seconds decided a tight, physical match.
How it works. Sunderland man-marked Arsenal's front three and midfield but left Ødegaard free, then jumped on him the moment he received. It was a softer version of what Brighton did a week later. Guimarães was useful arriving late at the edge of the box, a weapon Arsenal often lack against deep defences.
What the shots say. Replaying every shot, this is almost even: Arsenal win about a third of the replays, Sunderland slightly more. Both sides had three big chances. Arsenal won the moments: the save and the strike. A goalkeeper can win games like this, but not every week.