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Fabregas saves Arsenal with injury-time equaliser

04/10/2008

Cesc Fabregas prevented Arsenal from slumping to their third defeat of the league season after scoring an equaliser in the third minute of injury-time against Sunderland.

Grant Leadbitter thought he had won the match for the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light when he scored a blistering effort from 20-yards out.

However, Fabregas took his chance to head home Robin van Persie's corner with time running out.

Both sides struggled to perform in the first half and failed to consistently string passing moves together, leading to a scrappy opening 45 minutes.

Theo Walcott was far from the form he has shown at the start of this season and almost gifted Djibril Cisse a goal with a bad back-pass but Manuel Almunia was able to make the save.

Kolo Toure also had to be at his best to make an excellent block to deny Dean Whitehead a shooting opportunity inside the Gunners' box.

Cisse had a shot tipped over the bar just before half-time, while the Gunners could only muster wayward efforts from Walcott, Denilson and Fabregas in the first half.

At the start of the second half Arsene Wenger's men thought they had finally breached the Black Cats' defence but van Persie's volley was ruled out as Walcott's cross was judged to have gone out of play.

Both sides were beginning to get more shots on goal but they were tame and mostly straight at the goalkeepers.

Van Persie stretched Rob Gordon with 15 minutes to go but the Scotland international's reflexes were up to the task.

With five minutes to go Leadbitter lit up the stadium with a fine strike that looked to be sending Arsenal to their second successive league defeat. His shot hammered in off the underside of the bar much to his delight.

However, Fabregas was able to sneak in front of his marker at the front post in the dying moments of the match to snatch a vital point.

It could still be seen as two points lost for Wenger's side after they failed to clinch top spot for the second consecutive week. Liverpool and Chelsea will have the chance to stretch their points advantage over the Gunners tomorrow.