If Arsenal fail again this season in their vain pursuit of Manchester United's Premiership title - and the signs are, increasingly, that they will - they will look back in anguish at their meetings with Sunderland's never-say-die battlers.

Arsene Wenger's team narrowly lost the opening game of the season at the Stadium of Light when they wasted enough chances to sink a battleship in a match that ended with Patrick Vieira being sent off and their French manager being reported - and subsequently handed a 12-match touchline ban - for an alleged altercation in the tunnel.

And Gunners emerged with a point from this return clash at Highbury, there was still a numbing feeling in the icy north London air after Sunderland were allowed to hit back from a two-goal half-time deficit which should have been at least doubled.

Finally, after a dubiously-awarded Kevin Phillips penalty halved the Sunderland arrears on 53 minutes, Gavin McCann struck a wonder goal seven minutes from time for a stunning equaliser.

And Vieira, who had headed Arsenal's opening goal, his sixth this season, barely five minutes after the start, had to admit culpability for both the goals which, almost unbelievably, gave Sunderland a share of the honours.

Vieira's early strike gave Arsenal the platform for a concerted first-half display of pass and move which ran the rickety Sunderland defence ragged.

Thierry Henry's pace forced a corner off Chris Makin and Vieira rose virtually unopposed to head in Pires' flag kick despite Michael Gray's desperate attempt to clear from the line.

Amazingly, the Gunners had to wait until three minutes before the interval to double their advantage with Lee Dixon's unstoppable drive and by then Henry, Kanu, Ljungberg and, especially, Pires could have destroyed the match as a contest with even a modicum of ruthlessness in front of goal.

Henry, a hat-trick star of the 6-1 rout of Leicester City on Boxing Day, and Kanu who mixed magic footwork with sloppy finishing, both miskicked horribly with the goal gaping.

And Pires, who seemed to cut open the Sunderland defence at will, could not finish on at least three occasions when only Thomas Sorensen stood between him and goal.

Sunderland looked a shambles in defence where the giant Stanislav Vargas and lumbering Chris Makin were pulled to shreds by the pace of Henry and Fredrik Ljungberg. And when Phillips was presented with a rare opening on the half hour by the clumsiness of Arsenal's new Latvian centre-back Igors Stepanovs he shot straight at the advancing Alex Manninger.

Dixon's goal in the 42nd minute, a rifling drive from Henry's splendid pull-back, looked to settle all remaining argument. Yet Arsenal somehow lost their way completely after the break.

Stepanovs seemed to be finally growing in confidence when he foiled the energetic Alex Rae 10 yards out but when referee Barber ruled that Vieira had handled in trying to clear his area following a throw-in, Arsenal were in panic mode.

Phillips thumped home the spot-kick for his 10th goal this season and the unexpected success sustained Sunderland for the much more even battle of the second half.

And there was an amazing escape for the Gunners when another Stepanovs error let Phillips in to force another splendid parrying save from Manninger just seconds later.

Stepanovs, trying to complete the clearance, swept the ball against Niall Quinn's knee and the Irishman knew little about it until he looked up to see the ball bouncing away off a post.

Instead of creating genuine openings as in the first 45 minutes Arsenal were restricted to half chances and Henry and Kanu were both withdrawn from the fray.

They still looked like holding out for another home win which could have cut Manchester United's Premiership lead to six points but then Vieira was caught in possession after Stepanovs seemed to have cleared another nasty moment instigated by substitute Danny Dichio.

And McCann pounced on the ball with an instinctive swipe that sent it curling beyond Manninger to land in the far corner from all of 25 yards out.

But Kevin Phillips started Sunderland's unlikely comeback with a 53rd minute penalty after Vieira was ruled to have handled and McCann curled home a beauty after Vieira's mistake to hand Arsenal another setback in the title-race.

The contest also provided a fascinating match-up between strikers Thierry Henry and Phillips, both hat-trick stars in their previous outings on Boxing Day.

Sunderland, three points behind the Gunners at kick-off time, but winners of six of their last seven matches, gave former Arsenal midfielder Stefan Schwarz, now recovered from an achilles injury, his first League start of the season in place of Julio Arca and had giant Slovak defender Stanislav Varga in place of the suspended Emerson Thome.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger made just one change from the 6-1 hammering of Leicester, giving Schwarz's Swedish compatriot Fredrik Ljungberg the nod over Ray Parlour who started on the bench - alongside new Lithuanian signing, striker Tomas.

Igor Stepanovs, the Latvian centre half, retained his place as deputy for injured Martin Keown and had the task of aiding skipper Tony Adams' bid to repel the aerial threat of Sunderland's ex-Gunner Niall Quinn.

Teams

Arsenal: Manninger, Dixon, Stepanovs, Adams, Silvinho, Pires, Ljungberg, Grimandi, Vieira, Henry (Danilevicius 79), Kanu (Parlour 69).

Subs Not Used: Vivas, Lukic, Cole.

Goals: Vieira 5, Dixon 40.

Sunderland: Sorensen, Makin, Gray, Varga, Craddock, Hutchison, Schwarz, Rae, McCann, Phillips, Quinn (Dichio 56).

Subs Not Used: Kilbane, Williams, Macho, Arca.

Booked: Makin, Dichio, Rae.

Goals: Phillips 53 pen, McCann 83.

Att: 38,026

Ref: G Barber (Tring).