Arsenal star made up for dreadful first half with sublime second half vs Sunderland

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal were held by Sunderland in a dramatic Premier League clash at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening.

Hale End graduate Dan Ballard opened the scoring for the home team in the first half, emphatically slamming past David Raya following a contentious Martin Zubimendi yellow card.

Bukayo Saka scored the equaliser shortly after the break, before Leandro Trossard netted a stunning goal from outside the box late on.

The Gunners were unable to see the game out as Brian Brobbey hooked past Raya in the dying embers to rescue a point for the Black Cats.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Declan Rice had a game of two halves against Sunderland

Declan Rice has been outstanding recently for Arsenal.

The midfielder has been in imperious form, dominating the middle of the park in numerous matches throughout the Gunners’ rampant run.

However, the England international was far below his usual level in the opening 45 minutes on Wearside. Deployed in a midfield trio alongside Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze, Rice was poor in and out of possession.

Struggling to deal with Sunderland’s physical approach, he also used the ball wastefully in and around the box.

Something changed at the break. Rice came out for the second half on a mission to turn the game around, and he delivered with a monstrous display.

Conducting the Arsenal attack from the edge of the box with delicate little passes and neat pieces of skill, the 26-year-old was outstanding in his contribution to the Gunners’ sustained waves of pressure.

He also prevented numerous Sunderland counter-attacks with his elastic legs and ability to read the game impeccably.

Unfortunately for him, his efforts weren’t rewarded with three points as the newly promoted side snatched a late point.

Declan Rice’s statistics vs Sunderland

The data ultimately reflects the fact that Rice was excellent by the end of the match.

Having 90 touches, he was at the centre of proceedings for the Gunners, while he completed 94% of his passes despite regularly possessing the ball in congested areas.

He wasn’t conservative with his passing either. Constantly looking to get the ball into advanced areas, he completed an astounding 13 passes into the final third.

Rice did all this while fulfilling his defensive work diligently, making three tackles, four clearances and eleven total defensive contributions.