JOHN HARTSON, it had to be. On the far side of the pitch the yellow shirted Arsenal player felling an opponent had to be Hartson. In the dark at Roker Park it was hard to tell who exactly, but people had got it wrong - and spectacularly. Incredibly, the man disappearing down the tunnel after receiving the red card for leaving stud marks in Paul Bracewell's knee was not Hartson but Dennis Bergkamp.

Yes, angelic Bergkamp stood aghast - maybe at the devil in himself - as Michael Riley produced the red card for the first time in Bergkamp's Arsenal career. It was a fair decision though, but surprisingly Bergkamp expressed surprise at it, at least that is what Arsene Wenger said. "Not a man of many fouls" was Wenger's fairly accurate description of Bergkamp.

On Saturday, Arsenal we're a side of many fouls and even, Bergkamp caught the mood. David Platt was quite properly booked for a foul on Michael Bridges and in order of timing so too were Hartson (shock), Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn.

It should have been worse as well, for less than 10 minutes after Bergkamp skulked away, Hartson, already booked for kicking another lump off Bridges, committed the worst foul of the afternoon on Richard Ord. Although it happened under Mr Riley's nose, strangely play was waved on.

Arsenal's catalogue of indiscretions is costing them dear, and despite what Wenger said about being unable to understand the thought processes of English referees, it is all their own fault. Had Ian Wright played here it is not difficult to imagine an Arsenal victory that would have taken them to the top of the Premiership. But Wright, unsurprisingly, was not playing as he is midway through a self inflicted three match suspension.

Sunderland, with 22 League goals in 22 games, struggled to make the extra man tell. It would have been 21 but for Tony Adams's comical own goal with a third of a game remaining - the only occasion when David Seaman was significantly involved.