After a disappointing draw on Sunday, Arsène Wenger had some explaining to do.

The boss strangely pointed to tiredness as a reason for the poor performance, just days after he insisted that wouldn’t be an issue.

Encouraged by the first half at the Stadium of Light, the manager thought tiredness came through after the break and Arsenal struggled as a result against a dogged Sunderland team fighting for survival.

Olivier Giroud’s goal drought was another talking point, as was the return of Jack Wilshere, who was making his first appearance of the season after a few promising displays for Arsenal u21s.