Arsenal vs Sunderland live: Madueke starts as Saka absent with Gunners looking to extend Premier League lead | OneFootball

Close

Sunderland a good side - Arteta

Arsenal welcome Sunderland to the Emirates Stadium this afternoon looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to nine points.

The Gunners have had a fantastic week following their 4-0 mauling of Leeds last Saturday. Their closest title rivals, Manchester City and Aston Villa, both dropped points thanks to a 2-2 draw with Spurs and a 1-0 loss to Brentford respectively before Mikel Arteta’s men swept Chelsea aside to reach the Carabao Cup final during the week.

That place Arsenal on course for an unprecedented quadruple and they can move one step closer to securing the Premier League trophy should they defeat Sunderland today.

The Black Cats started the season superbly following their promotion from the Championship and currently sit eighth in the table just five points off the top four. Qualifying for a place in Europe would be a fitting reward for such a fine season but Regis Le Bris’ men need to maintain their momentum after beating Burnley 3-0 last time out.

The importance of Roefs

Sunderland’s Robin Roefs has made the third-most saves (76), has the second-highest save percentage (74.3%) and the joint-5th most clean sheets (8) of any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season.

The last time a goalkeeper kept more clean sheets for a promoted side was in 2020-21 (Illan Meslier 11, Alphonse Areola 9).

(Getty Images)

Mike Jones7 February 2026 14:35

PSR is finally dead – How the Premier League’s new financial rules benefit the elite

If the January window was unusually quiet – given the money in the Premier League – part of the reason is explained by the noise in some of the boardrooms. One big club actively wanted to spend and felt they could comfortably do so within next season’s new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules, but didn’t want to risk it as it could bust them through this season’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The concerns show the “layer of acronyms” – to quote one source – the Premier League is now working through, before next season’s switch to the new rules. Whether it adds more layers or even increases financial stratification is still the subject of considerable debate.

Miguel Delaney7 February 2026 14:30