Arsenal winning runs ends after conceding late goal to draw 2-2 with Sunderland in Premier League

Premier League leader Arsenal conceded its first goal in 881 minutes and then again in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with Sunderland on Saturday, a result that potentially breathes new life into the title race.

Brian Brobbey's goal in the fourth minute of added-on time ended Arsenal's winning run of five matches in the league — and 10 in all competitions — that had been built on one of the stingiest defenses English soccer has seen in a generation.

Arsenal hadn't let in a goal since Sept. 28 — nine games ago — before its former academy player, Dan Ballard, lashed in the opener for Sunderland in the 36th minute at the Stadium of Light.

“I felt a pain in my tummy,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “I don't want to concede any goals.”

Back in the Premier League for the first time in eight years, Sunderland gave the leaders their most uncomfortable game for some time but second-half strikes by Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard looked like earning Arsenal a battling victory.

Brobbey's late equalizer, after the substitute beat goalkeeper David Raya and defender Gabriel Magalhaes to the loose ball after a flick-on, meant Arsenal's lead was six points over second-place Chelsea, which beat managerless Wolverhampton 3-0.

Tottenham and Manchester United both scored stoppage-time goals in a wild finish to their 2-2 draw, while there were also wins for West Ham and Everton.

Just when it looked like Richarlison’s glancing header in the first minute of added-on time had sealed victory for Tottenham, Man United equalized with a header of its own from Matthijs de Ligt five minutes later to complete a dramatic finale to the match between teams which contested the Europa League final last season.

United extended its unbeaten streak in the league to five games — three wins followed by two away draws — for its best run in the year-long tenure of Ruben Amorim.

Yet the 40-year-old Portuguese coach insisted his team still had “a lot of problems” after squandering going ahead, going behind and then equalizing for the second straight week.

“We're just in the beginning,” Amorim said. "I know that sometimes the results show to people that we are improving. We're improving but we have a lot to do,”

Tottenham has only won one of its six homes games so far, yet showed resilience to fight back from conceding a 32nd-minute goal to Bryan Mbeumo — his fifth of the campaign.

The hosts dominated the second half and grabbed an equalizer in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off De Ligt. Tel had only been on the field for five minutes, having come on for Xavi Simons in a substitution that was booed by some sections of the home crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Jeers turned to cheers when Richarlison glanced in Wilson Odobert’s edge-of-the-area shot and Tottenham looked a big favorite for all three points — especially considering United was down to 10 men at that point because of a knee injury to substitute Benjamin Sesko. United had used all five substitutes and couldn’t replace the striker.

There was still time for De Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalward and over the line.

All of Chelsea's goals came in the second half against Wolves.

Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto converted crosses by Alejandro Garnacho either side of Joao Pedro's finish from a cross by lively substitute Estevao.

Wolves stayed in last place on just two points from 11 games and has yet to win a match so far.

West Ham beat Burnley 3-2 to secure back-to-back victories under recently hired manager Nuno Espirito Santo, after last weekend's win over Newcastle, and only remained in the relegation zone on goal difference.

After going behind, West Ham fought back through goals by Callum Wilson, Tomas Soucek and Kyle Walker-Peters before a last-gasp consolation from Burnley

Everton ended a three-match winless run by beating Fulham 2-0 thanks to goals by Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester United's Matthijs de Ligt celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in London, England, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Sunderland's Daniel Ballard (second left) celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Sunderland, in Sunderland, England, Saturday Nov. 8, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring their side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Sunderland, in Sunderland, England, Saturday Nov. 8, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Leandro Trossard celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Sunderland, in Sunderland, England, Saturday Nov. 8, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Tottenham's Mathys Tel, right, scores his side's second goal past Manchester United's Matthijs de Ligt during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in London, England, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo, left, scores his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in London, England, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in London, England, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Tottenham's Richarlison celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in London, England, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

The systems that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel are convenient but don't improve safety because people are often too reliant on them and end up paying more attention to their cellphones and infotainment screens than to the road, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said during the hearing on the NTSB's investigation of two fatal crashes involving Ford’s Blue Cruise system that automakers need to do more to improve the way these systems monitor drivers, and the government should establish minimum safety standards.

“These systems function primarily as convenience features rather than safety enhancements,” she said.

The 2024 crashes in Texas and Pennsylvania killed three people when Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs slammed into stopped vehicles. In both cases, the drivers were distracted in ways the system failed to recognize. The Texas driver only briefly glanced at the road while searching for a charging station, and the Pennsylvania driver appeared focused on the cellphone she was holding on top of the steering wheel in front of her.

Homendy said automakers are marketing these systems as safety improvements that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and focus elsewhere. To illustrate her point, she showed a Ford commercial that depicted a mother in a driver’s seat pretending to conduct a symphony with her eyes closed while talking to kids in the backseat.

Philip Koopman, professor emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University and expert on self-driving vehicle safety, said the NTSB findings highlight longstanding concerns about the limitations of these driver assistance systems and the fact that more advancements are needed.

“These concerns continue to be a problem,” Koopman said. “The finding today is that the journey is not over. More work is needed.”

Ford said in a statement that it remains committed to safety and “we will take the NTSB’s recommendations under serious consideration as we continue to evolve our driver-assist technologies and encourage responsible road behavior.”

Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said that drivers who are already addicted to their cellphones think it's OK to check them while using these systems because they trust them.

“Our brains are just wired in that if we think that a system is going to take over and reliably handle a driving task, we get bored and we look for something else to do,” Chase said.

There are currently no clear U.S. government safety standards for the systems, so each automaker’s version of this technology can vary greatly, said Michael Graham, NTSB vice chair.

The NTSB has previously investigated a number crashes involving similar systems, including Tesla’s autopilot system. Homendy said that it's not fair to think Tesla's system is worse because they have reported a large number of crashes. She said Tesla is just much better at reporting crashes, and that's something the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should require automakers to do more reliably.

Ford’s Blue Cruise system allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel while it handles steering, braking and acceleration on highways. The company says the system isn’t fully autonomous and that it monitors drivers to make sure they pay attention to the road. The systems offered by other carmakers are similar and most of the concerns the NTSB raised apply to all of them.

There are no fully autonomous vehicles for sale to the public in the U.S., but robotaxis that operate without a driver are being used in several major cities.

Graham said he’s concerned that some of these systems have a hard time detecting stationary objects or vehicles in the roar, but the only way automakers communicate that with drivers is in the owner's manual that many people don’t read cover-to-cover. And the caveats in the manual don't match the way the car companies sell these systems in ads.

One of the deadly Ford crashes, which killed one person, occurred in San Antonio, Texas. The other happened in Philadelphia, killing two. The driver in the Philadelphia crash was later charged with DUI homicide. That case is pending, with no trial date set.

The Texas crash occurred on Interstate 10 in San Antonio. The Mach E, going nearly 75 mph, struck the rear of a Honda CR-V that was stopped in the middle of three lanes at night. Investigators said the Ford driver was looking for a nearby charging station, and there was no evidence that either he or the Ford's automated systems tried to slow the car or swerve.

Another driver who avoided the CR-V told investigators that neither its taillights nor hazards were working at the time. But NTSB investigators said body camera footage shot after the crash showed that some of the CR-V's lights were on, and that evidence showed that at least one of the taillights was lit up before the crash.

The other crash involving a Mach E killed two people at night on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania State Police said the Ford was in the left lane when it struck a stationary Hyundai Elantra that earlier had collided with a Toyota Prius. The Ford was going 72 mph even though the speed limit in the area had decreased to 45 mph because it was a construction zone.

During the crash, the Prius driver, who was outside of his vehicle, also was struck and thrown into the southbound lanes. A person from the Hyundai also was on the roadway and was hit. Both young men died.

NTSB members expressed concerns Tuesday that drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs seem to believe that using a driver assistance system can help them drive while impaired.

“It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that people are buying this technology with the plan of using it to help them drive home drunk,” Koopman said.

Homendy said that in contrast to the hands-free driving systems, systems that the NTSB has long recommended that can automatically stop a car when they detect an impending collision have proven effective at reducing traffic deaths.

FILE - Shoppers look over a 2025 Mach-E electric utility vehicle in the Ford display at the Colorado Auto Show, April 17, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - The Ford logo is seen on the grill of a Ford Explorer on display at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show, in Pittsburgh, on Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Jennifer Homendy, the NTSB chair, speaks during a press conference, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at LaGuardia Airport in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)