Graphic: Bill Edgar's tactical analysis

A total of 7,920 minutes of Barclays Premier League football have been played by 22 members of the Arsenal squad this season; of that, just 204 minutes have been the work of Englishmen.

An Englishman, to be precise, Theo Walcott being the odd man out in the dressing-room of the league leaders. Yesterday, however, his team-mates must have been grateful for the presence of this strange little interloper, with his funny accent and endearing foreign customs. Walcott’s arrival as a 58th-minute substitute was the catalyst for keeping Arsenal top of the league. He helped to win the game a second time, his teammates already having won it once.

At the time of his arrival the score was 2-2, despite Arsenal taking an early two-goal lead, and Sunderland were in the ascendancy. Although Walcott’s first noteworthy contribution was to mis-kick in front of an open goal, he was redeemed by the astonishingly fast turn and darting run that set up Robin van Persie’s winner with ten minutes remaining.

At 18, Walcott remains very much a work in progress, but provided that he does not go the same way as other native prospects such as David Bentley, he may yet meet the standards required to find a home in this highly imaginative, highly skilful Arsenal team.

Roy Keane has enjoyed some titanic battles in North London, but probably not against such overwhelming odds. When he used to travel south as captain of Manchester United, he knew his team could go toe to toe with Arsenal physically, mentally and technically. As manager of Sunderland, with key players injured and resources stretched to the limit, he could not be so sure. When his team trailed 2-0 after 14 minutes - and it would have been three after 18 were it not for Andy Garratt, another misguided, overeager assistant referee – he must have feared the worst. Instead, from nothing, Sunderland fashioned a performance brimming with determination and energy, drawing level after half-time, and were unfortunate not to snatch a point with a late equaliser after Van Persie’s second.

It was an impressive performance from a team whose roll-call of names gave no clue of what would follow after Van Persie and Philippe Senderos had put Arsenal clear. The opening 20 minutes were similar on balance of play to New Zealand’s meeting with France in the rugby union World Cup on Saturday night, Arsenal, like the All Blacks, effortlessly superior.

What happened next bore similarity, too, as a team who appeared to be out of their class came surging back into the game powered by sheer bloody-mindedness. All Sunderland failed to replicate was the way France held on at the end. The dismissal of Paul McShane for a reckless foul on Alexander Hleb was a final insult the visiting side did not deserve, even if the individual may have done.

Arsenal started with such certainty, such bravado that, for a while, any scoreline seemed possible. Emmanuel Adebayor shot over after 25 seconds and by the seventh minute the home side seemed to be scoring goals, quite literally, for fun.

When Rob Styles, the referee, blew for a free kick for a foul on Cesc Fàbregas just outside the penalty area, Abou Diaby did not hear and lashed the loose ball into the net with Craig Gordon, the goalkeeper, grasping at air. The ball restored to the site of the offence, enter Van Persie, who replicated Diaby’s strike with added venom, the trajectory achingly close to Gordon, but the ball travelling with such speed he could not stop it. For added aesthetic beauty it struck the underside of the bar and bounced down over the line, resembling archive footage from a distant World Cup.

After Gordon had denied Adebayor, Arsenal went farther ahead from the resulting corner, which Sunderland twice failed to clear before the ball fell to Senderos. His bobbling shot represented that rare thing, an Arsenal goal that did not elicit the silent mouthing of the word “wow”.

Perhaps the decision of Garratt to rule out a perfectly good goal by Diaby for offside inspired Sunderland, perhaps the thought of trooping back to the dressing-room to face Keane at half-time did the trick, but either way, some echo of resistance stirred and in the 25th minute Arsenal received notice that they would have to work for a living this weekend after all. Dwight Yorke’s ball put Kenwyne Jones away, Manuel Almunia, the goalkeeper, saved with his legs, but Ross Wallace was quickest to the rebound and finished from 18 yards.

As Arsenal drifted, Sunderland grew stronger and three minutes after half-time Jones scored with a header from a cross by Liam Miller. The form team were now officially in trouble.

At which point, Arsène Wenger introduced Walcott for Diaby and the game changed. Energy and vitality revived, Kolo Touré, the captain, hit a post with a shot from 30 yards struck with such force the rebound came out with no chance of reaction. From the next attack, Hleb played a one-two with Fàbregas and whipped a low pass across the face of goal to Walcott, who swung at the ball in the manner of a panicked 12-year-old on trial for the school (which he would have been six years ago).

It needed a big heart to come back from that and, in the 80th minute, Walcott showed he has one. His balletic pivot took his marker and Van Persie by surprise, but the Dutchman regained his composure in time to run on to his pass and finish. Sunderland were not done and Anthony Stokes, on as a substitute, had a dipping shot tipped over before Almunia was forced to save bravely at the feet of Miller. With the red card for McShane, however, the match was won.

Walcott rounded off the afternoon by turning brilliantly once more and striking a shot against a post.

The last top-flight goal scored for Arsenal by an Englishman was on January 2, 2007. It would not do to get too cocky.

How they rated

Arsenal 3 Van Persie 7, 80, Senderos 14

4-4-2 M Almunia 6 B Sagna 6 K Touré 6 P Senderos 6 G Clichy 6 A Hleb 6 M Flamini 6 F Fàbregas 6 A Diaby 6 R van Persie 8 E Adebayor 7 Substitutes T Walcott 7 (for Diaby, 58min), E Eboué (for Sagna, 68 6), Gilberto Silva (for Van Persie, 85) Not used L Fabianski, N Bendtner. Next: Bolton Wndrs (h).

Sunderland 2 Wallace 25, Jones 48

4-3-1-2 C Gordon 7 P McShane R 6 N Nosworthy 7 D Higginbotham 7 D Collins 7 L Miller 7 D Yorke 7 R Wallace 7 G Leadbitter 7 M Chopra Y 5 K Jones Y 7 Substitutes A Stokes (for Wallace, 78), D Etuhu (for Chopra, 78), I Harte (for Yorke, 90) Not used D Ward, R O’Donovan. Next: West Ham Utd (a).

Referee R Styles
Attendance 60,098