Sunderland secured the priceless point needed to maintain their Premier League status after becoming the third successive side to leave Ashburton Grove with a clean sheet as they held Arsenal to a goalless draw on Wednesday evening.

The Black Cats defended resolutely throughout and could have even snatched all three points as Gunners goalkeeper David Ospina had to pull off three outstanding saves early in the second half to keep the score level, while Steven Fletcher also missed a golden opportunity.

Manager Dick Advocaat was understandably emotional at the end of the game and heaped praise on his players afterwards:

“It was a special match because we played against an excellent team in Arsenal but the way we worked made us deserve it and seeing the fans after the game was a great feeling,” The Dutchman said.

“We all worked so hard every day to get results out of the last six games and we have only lost once, they were brilliant and I’m very proud of everyone involved with Sunderland.”

The result could have been even sweeter if Fletcher had brought along his shooting boots to north London as he was denied when clean through on goal by Ospina, then diverted a Patrick van Aanholt’s cross shot inches over the bar from inside the penalty box.

But it was his side that were celebrating at the final whistle as they guaranteed their survival with a game to spare.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are approaching the FA Cup final with major concerns in front of goal after failing to find the back of the net for the third home game in a row. However, a top-three finish is all but secured which means automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League group stage.

They dominated the majority of the game, enjoying 65 per cent possession, but struggled to break down a stubborn defence and also found Costel Pantilimon in fine-form between the sticks as he denied Jack Wilshere, Olivier Giroud, Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott.

The closest they came to a breakthrough was when Billy Jones inadvertently headed an attempted clearance against his own crossbar, but it was simply yet another frustrating evening for the home side.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger admitted afterwards that tiredness is creeping into his squad and hinted at making changes to his line-up for the final game of the season against West Brom ahead of their Wembley date with Aston Villa.

“We played our 56th game of the season tonight and some players have given a lot,” he said

“We still have time to recover for Sunday and prepare well for the FA Cup final. What is important now is that we win on Sunday.”