Arsenal’s clean sheet and winning run had to end sooner or later, and with the help of Craig Pawson, refereeing his first Arsenal match in eight months since sending off Myles Lewis-Skelly against West Ham, it did just that.
It is fair to say that Arsenal were not at their best, but this was still a game they should have won, even with six attacking players missing and a number of teenagers on the bench.
Sunderland, though, are no pushovers. Their league position and formidable home record are no accident. Channelling their best Stoke-under-Pulis impression, they made the contest a physical one, and Pawson allowed them to.
The statistics will show, for anyone who cares to look, that both sides conceded 13 free-kicks at the Stadium of Light, but they will not record the repeated occasions Pawson inexplicably waved play on rather than award Arsenal a foul in the opposition half.
Many of those challenges warranted yellow cards, but they never came.
At one point, Daniel Ballard, later named Man of the Match after opening the scoring in the first half, grabbed Ebere Eze around the head and threw him to the ground, only to be given the free-kick himself.
This came after he had elbowed Mikel Merino in the head, leaving the midfielder needing lengthy treatment. As has become a theme this season, anything goes in the penalty area as long as you touch the ball.
The second half was much improved from Arsenal. Bukayo Saka equalised with a perfectly-placed strike at the near post, finding just millimetres of space to beat the goalkeeper.
Leandro Trossard then appeared to have won it with a superb finish from outside the box that left no chance for the keeper.
But, as the game wore on, Arsenal retreated, visibly tiring, and Mikel Arteta chose not to bring on fresh legs. His only change, Cristhian Mosquera for Eze, signalled a decision to sit back and rely on a defence that has been rock-solid all season but showed cracks here.
It did not work.
The equaliser, when it came in the 94th minute, felt inevitable.
The points were gone.
When the frustration fades, this result will be seen in its proper context. Arsenal have come through a demanding run without their captain, their main striker and several other key players, yet maintained an almost perfect record.
The international break offers a timely pause, and when they return to face Tottenham, they should have most, if not all of Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyökeres back in contention.
This draw will sting because of how close Arsenal came to winning, but that frustration will serve as fuel, just as the disappointment at Anfield earlier in the season sparked the run that followed.
The sense of dissatisfaction speaks volumes about the club’s progress. Even after stretching their lead at the top to seven points, albeit having played a game more than City, who face Liverpool on Sunday, the reaction is one of frustration.
It is early November and Arsenal are in a commanding position.
In a title race, some dropped points can prove fatal. These will not. The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 14 matches in all competitions, winning 12 and drawing two, and they only have more to add to their Arsenal when domestic football picks up again in two weeks.
After the game, Arteta told Sky Sports, “A really tough test … credit to them … they made it very difficult … very unfortunately at the end we conceded a goal … the time that has been added tells you the story of the game … we created a lot of chances … we conceded two aerial balls … two flicks … they created chaos … that’s the reason they are where they are … now we have the international break … we are really disappointed but we have to go again …I loved the way the team reacted … it’s just a shame we conceded in the last minute but that is the league.”