Sunderland have come under scrutiny for potentially putting players at risk by using an unexpected strategy that helped them secure a 2-2 draw against Arsenal. The Premier League leaders were forced to settle for a share of the points after Brian Brobbey scored an injury-time equalizer.
Arsenal had taken a 2-1 lead in the second half thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, both of which came from open play. However, Sunderland’s clever tactics disrupted the usual flow of the game, as the set piece specialists were restricted to just two corners throughout the match. Additionally, their long throws did not cause as much disruption as usual.
This was partly due to Sunderland’s decision to move their advertising hoardings closer to the touchline. By reducing the distance between the boards and the edge of the pitch, the team limited the ability of Arsenal players like Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori to take long run-ups that typically help propel the ball further.
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According to beIN Sports host Richard Keys, Arsenal will hold an internal meeting to discuss Sunderland’s tactic. However, he raised concerns about whether the approach was entirely safe, especially considering the tragic death of Billy Vigar in September. The former Arsenal youngster died at the age of 21 after colliding with a brick wall near the pitch.
Keys argued that player safety should always be the top priority when making decisions that could lead to physical injuries. He stated:
‘Sunderland did not commit an offence of any kind. What they did was move the hoardings in with the idea of stopping Arsenal from using long throws. It’s very clear the purpose of having done that, as long as there’s a metre between the touchline and the hoarding. But in a time where we’ve recently had a fatality because of the proximity of a concrete wall, and I know it’s entirely different, I just looked at that yesterday and it looked a bit close for me. That might be endangering the wellbeing of those on the football pitch. I know there’s a meeting at Arsenal tomorrow to discuss. No rules have been broken, Sunderland are well within their rights, but I’m not sure.’
‘On the one hand, it’s very smart, it’s a talking point, and it went unnoticed by Arsenal. It was a subject of conversation after they’d left the ground yesterday, so we’ll wait for developments on that.’
When asked about moving the boards closer to the pitch, Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris responded with a smile: ‘Yeah, we tried to find the details to win the game. They are really strong on set-pieces, and we were good as well. It was absolutely obvious this threat was really important for this game, and in the end, it was balanced.’
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