Arsenal vs Sunderland Timeline & H2H Stats

Given Sunderland’s much-publicised struggles in the Premier League era, you would be forgiven for thinking that Arsenal have long enjoyed domination over the Black Cats. The reality is somewhat different, however, not least because Sunderland were a more established team by the time the Gunners came into the English game. Founded as Sunderland and District Teachers in 1879, they didn’t even take to the field against the Londoners until 1893, seven years after the side known as Royal Arsenal had been formed. That was an FA Cup match, which the Black Cats won 6-0.

Although Arsenal got a few wins on the board when the two teams were both playing in the top-flight, it wasn’t the sort of dominant rivalry that modern-day supporters might have expected. In fact, between winning two in a row in 1907 and winning another two in succession in 1947, the teams went up against one another 52 times in the First Division and once in the Charity Shield. Of those games, Sunderland emerged as winners 27 times, whilst 12 of the matches ended as draws. That allowed for just 13 Arsenal wins, which would seem unthinkable in the modern era of the sport.

A Thorn in Arsenal’s Side

Sunderland were regular winners of the top-flight between the club’s formation and the mid-1930s, also adding in an FA Cup win during that period and another at the start of the 1970s. It is fair to say, therefore, that the Black Cats are not a trophy-winning side in the modern era. The same cannot be said of Arsenal, who won more FA Cup trophies in the 2010s than Sunderland have in the club’s history. When you phrase it like that, you would be forgiven for thinking that the table has turned and Arsenal have been the dominant force in the modern era of the two sides’ history.

Whilst that is largely true, with Arsenal winning 12 times between the start of the 2008-2009 season and the end of the 2021-2022 campaign, it doesn’t tell the full story. For a lot of that time, for example, Sunderland weren’t even in the Premier League. On top of that, the Black Cats did register a win in the top-flight and a victory in the FA Cup, as well as more than a few draws in the same period. In other words, they have been something of a thorn in the Arsenal side throughout the history of the two clubs, even if the Gunners have certainly been the more dominant in the modern era.

Arsenal’s Full Match History Against Sunderland