Any neutrals reading this may have seen Saturday's scoreline at the Emirates and thought Arsenal absolutely battered Sunderland, but anyone watching the game – Gunners fans included – would probably tell you that just wasn’t the case.
The 3-0 result flattered the hosts. For the vast majority of the game, Sunderland were seriously competitive and went toe to toe with the team I consider to be the best on the planet right now.
Some rather kind officiating ensured Arsenal still had 11 men on the pitch (William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori made more than enough fouls in the first half to warrant two yellows each) and Sunderland were denied what ought to have been a penalty for a Martin Zubimendi foul on Dan Ballard. The end result probably should have been a lot closer.
That said, you can see why Arsenal are on track to win every competition this season. They really are world class all over the park.
Zubimendi's goal came at a time when Sunderland were on top, as did the second by Viktor Gyokeres. Sadly, that's the difference between my team and the very best – they don't even have to be on top of their game to eke out victories.
There was no shame in this defeat and on another day we might have got something. The sheer volume of comments from pundits and neutrals about how much of a battle Sunderland put up against a seemingly unstoppable force says it all about how well we actually performed.
My Roker Report colleague, Martin, said our performance was probably our best on the road this season, and I don't think I'd argue with that. The way we played would have been good enough to beat almost anyone else in the Premier League, just not the side who will undoubtedly win the title this season.
Onwards to Wednesday – let's give Liverpool hell.
Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report
