Arsenal news: Guardiola plays mind games with Arteta as blame for Sunderland draw pinpointed

Arsenal's title charge suffered its first setback in over two months as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sunderland . The Black Cats not only snatched a valuable point from the in-form league leaders but also ended their run of eight consecutive clean sheets. Fittingly, it was former Arsenal academy defender Daniel Ballard who put the hosts ahead midway through the first half. After the break, the visitors responded with intent, as Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard overturned the deficit to give the the Gunners a 2-1 lead. However, just when victory seemed assured, Brian Brobbey struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time to earn Sunderland a dramatic equaliser. Arsenal remain top of the table but the air of invincibility surrounding Mikel Arteta's side has taken a noticeable dent. The result comes at an inopportune moment. Arsenal must stew on the disappointment over the final international break of the year before returning to face a daunting trio of fixtures against Tottenham , Bayern Munich and Chelsea . Here, Mirror Football breaks down all the latest Arsenal-related headlines. Pep Guardiola isn't exactly known for mental warfare but he seemed eager to send Arsenal a few pointed messages ahead of this weekend's fixtures. The Manchester City boss labelled the Gunners "unbelievable" and hinted they were the team to beat, adding that his own side were still finding their rhythm. That said, he also reminded Arteta's men that they aren't champions yet - and warned that, after a sluggish start, his side are beginning to build momentum. "We cannot compare ourselves, they [Arsenal] are unbelievable," Guardiola said. "I think we are learning to play better against different shapes, man-marking or low blocks or deep that at the beginning we struggled a little bit to read exactly what we had to do. And like I said one month ago, I have the feeling that we are getting better. "I said yesterday, the big teams, when you win, from my experience, when you arrive at the end of April, May, to win the titles is how much you grew up from September, October and every month. The teams who win are the teams who grow. And that I had a feeling that we are getting better. "On Sunday we play against, right now, the champions. Arsenal is not the champion, the champion is Liverpool . They come here to defend the title. We experienced that. "And it's a chance to prove ourselves against the last champions of the Premier League , what is our level, and I'm so excited to play." David Seaman has blamed David Raya for Arsenal's dropped points against Sunderland, arguing the goalkeeper's late error cost his side victory. The Spaniard was caught out deep into stoppage time when Brobbey beat him to a loose ball in the box, allowing the Sunderland striker to poke home into an empty net and snatch a 2-2 draw. Seaman - who made over 500 appearances for Arsenal during a 12-year spell at the club - questioned Raya's decision-making and suggested he ought to have tried to punch the ball, rather than catch it. "Whether Raya should come, I'd question that," the former England No. 1 said on Premier League Productions after the game. "And the way he comes for the ball, he tries to catch it, is he aware of the guy [Brobbey] getting close? "It's a great finish by Brobbey but I would just question the decision of Raya, whether he should come and try to punch it, rather than try to catch it." Raya has been one of the Premier League's most dependable goalkeepers in recent seasons and has played a major role in Arsenal's excellent defensive record this term. But moments of hesitation like the one at the Stadium of Light, Seaman warned, could prove costly in the title race. Even so, the Arsenal legend urged calm, suggesting the result is no reason for panic. "This was a difficult game, especially when you looked at it first half," he said. "It looked difficult, Sunderland were well-organised, and they knew exactly what they needed to do with Arsenal - hit it long, play in Arsenal's half rather than play it out from the back. "When they did play out from the back it cost them a goal. But Arsenal… they're in a good position because this was a big test." Theo Walcott believes Arsenal should have had a penalty against Sunderland, but Alan Shearer isn't so sure. In the first half, Arsenal's Mikel Merino found himself on the receiving end of an elbow from Black Cats' defender Dan Ballard in the area, sparking calls for a penalty in favour of the Gunners. Despite VAR checking the incident and Merino requiring extensive treatment, Arsenal were denied a spot kick. The decision sparked debate on Match of the Day, with Gunners icon Walcott insisting his former side deserved a penalty. "I do feel like his elbow was in quite a high condition, shall we call it, and it was very disruptive," he said. " Mikel Arteta spoke about being disruptive, and he's definitely, in my opinion, he's disruptive and there's a slight movement from the elbow to Merino's cheekbone. Shearer, however, disagreed, saying: "I think as a defender, if he allows that forward to get across him, his manager goes absolutely berserk at him. That's his space and he cannot allow any forward to get across him. "So he then settles himself and then he goes for the header. You can't jump without doing that [raising his arms] for a header - and I don't think there's anything deliberate there at all. I think it's more brilliant defending than anything else." 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