Cesc Fabregas came to Arsenal's rescue with an injury-time equaliser to deny Sunderland victory in a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.

The Gunners were within seconds of suffering successive Barclays Premier League defeats for the first time since March last year, after substitute Grant Leadbitter smashed home an 86th-minute goal.

But Fabregas, a week after his side had lost at home to promoted Hull, ensured there was no repeat when he headed Robin van Persie's corner home deep into added-time.

Alex Song, back in the Arsenal side after a hip injury, perhaps should have done better with a 12th-minute header, and Denilson whipped a shot across Craig Gordon and just wide of the post on the stroke of half-time.

But it was opposite number Manuel Almunia who had to make the more telling interventions as he and Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse found themselves engaged in a duel. Twice within as many minutes, only the Spaniard stood in Cisse's way with the home fans on their feet.

Arsenal returned in determined mood and Emmanuel Adebayor embarrassed full-back George McCartney with a dropped shoulder, but wasted the opening with a poor cross, and Walcott's driven ball was only just too strong for van Persie.

Danny Collins took the ball off Adebayor's toe after the striker's touch let him down with 49 minutes gone, and the striker then headed van Persie's corner just off target.

Walcott forced the ball across from the goal-line for van Persie to blast home, but the officials controversially ruled it had gone out of play before the England international had got to it.

But the deadlock was finally broken with four minutes remaining when Grant Leadbitter drilled the ball past Almunia and in off the underside of the bar, although the drama did not end there.

With the game in the third of four minutes of stoppage-time, Fabregas headed van Persie's corner home to snatch a point and rescue his side.

October 2007 News