Arsenal and Sunderland went into half-time locked at 0-0 in the final Premier League match of the day, with the visitors still in control but without a breakthrough. Ben White was holding his groin late in the first half and did not come out for the restart, with Jurrien Timber taking his place.
That is why the Arsenal score search is live now: the game had reached the interval level despite Arsenal dominating possession and territory at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland did not manage a shot on target in the first half, while Arsenal limited them to only a couple of efforts on target, yet the home side still forced a run of corners just before the break and David Raya was needed to deal with them.
Arsenal then made two changes at the start of the second half, with Bruno Guimaraes replacing Myles Lewis-Skelly as the teams returned to the pitch. The goalless state underlines how little Sunderland have allowed in open play, even if the balance of pressure has leaned heavily toward Arsenal.
The unresolved question is White’s condition. He may not return after the break, and Arsenal will have to manage the rest of the match without knowing whether the groin problem is temporary or something more serious.
Earlier in the day, Marco Rose said Bournemouth had played well again against Brentford, noting that they were better in most stats but still lost the shot-on-target battle after Brentford scored twice from two efforts and Bournemouth scored two of 10 on target. That was another reminder of how fine margins can decide a game, even when the numbers point the other way.
