David Moyes has pledged to keep doing what he does after Sunderland’s latest setback ensured they plunged to a record-equalling nadir. Two goals apiece from Alexis Sánchez and Olivier Giroud in a 4-1 home defeat against Arsenal left Moyes’s bottom‑placed team with two points.
That sorry statistic means they have now equalled the record points low registered after 10 Premier League games, matching Manchester City’s similar under-achievement in 1995. By way of exacerbating Moyes’s woes, Sunderland’s goal difference is now -13, one worse than City’s at the same stage.
As Arsenal briefly moved to the top of the Premier League, his counterpart was left searching for positives at the end of a game where Sunderland were undone by three Arsenal goals in eight second-half minutes.
“It wasn’t a difficult afternoon until the last 15 or 20 minutes,” said Moyes, who is still seeking his first league win since succeeding Sam Allardyce in July. “I didn’t think we collapsed. I thought we lost to quality goals and Giroud coming off the bench.
“We’d got it back to 1-1 and I wanted to win but Arsenal can hurt you; they’re really good at cutting through you. They’ve got great quality and they’re competing for the title. I’m really disappointed. I wouldn’t say the score flattered them but we’d done enough not to be beaten by that amount of goals; we’d grown into the game and got back into it. I don’t think we deserved to lose by four goals.”
Although Sunderland’s next two games at Bournemouth and at home against Hull City could yet prove pivotal there is no appetite on the part of Ellis Short, the owner, and Martin Bain, the chief executive, for sacking their seventh manager in five years.
“I’m experienced,” Moyes said. “I’ll keep doing what I do.”
A rather happier Wenger was delighted to not only see Sánchez excel in his unique but highly effective deep‑lying interpretation of the lone‑striker role but also to watch Giroud impose himself after stepping off the bench.
“Sánchez is doing extremely well and Giroud is mentally strong,” Arsenal’s manager said. “Every time Olivier is questioned he gives you the right answer on the pitch. I admire him for that.”
Delighted with his side’s “resolve”, he praised his players’ reaction to Jermain Defoe’s equalising penalty. “We had a great response,” he said. “This team wants to play well together.”
