Arsenal were denied victory by Darren Bent’s late strike for Sunderland in what angry Gunners supremo Arsene Wenger believed was the fifth of four minutes’ stoppage time.

Wenger also fumed at the bookings which saw midfielder Alexandre Song dismissed on 55 minutes, the first a particularly harsh award.

Arsenal still should have won comfortably. But their goal was outrageously lucky and they were otherwise wasteful, even from a penalty.

They went ahead when in-form Cesc Fabregas charged down a delayed Anton Ferdinand clearance and saw the ball fly into the net from fully 35 yards.

But their luck was all bad thereafter. Song and Andrei Arshavin forced saves from Black Cats’ keeper Simon Mignolet before half-time.

Arshavin fired over from close range after the interval. And having lost Fabregas to injury Arsenal were soon a man down when Song received his second booking.

They should still have doubled their advantage on 73 minutes. Samr Nasri was tripped in the penalty area by Ahmed Elmohamadi. But Fabregas’s replacement Tomas Rosicky blazed his kick over the crossbar.

And Arsenal paid for their profligacy when Bent fired home from close range in the 95^th minute after a defensive mix-up in the six-yard box. (204)