Two old players attacked Arsenal! The 26-year-old youth training scored and escaped with an elbow. The former captain angered the public with his provocation.

In a focus match in the 11th round of the Premier League that ended on November 9, the leader Arsenal drew an unexpected 2-2 away draw with Sunderland. In this game, the two old Arsenal players stole the spotlight when they turned against their old owners. Ballard scored and escaped a penalty with a suspected elbow, while former captain Xhaka caused strong dissatisfaction among Gunners fans for angrily criticizing Merino for provocation.

Only 7 minutes into the game, Arsenal had an offensive opportunity. Merino was elbowed by Ballard on the head while fighting for the top in the penalty area. He then fell to the ground in pain. The referee did not call the ball a foul.

Merino then returned to the game after receiving treatment from the team doctor. Slow-motion replay showed that Ballard's elbow strike was very obvious. The referee was a little more strict and Arsenal could have got a penalty kick.

It was Ballard who escaped the penalty kick and scored with a volley in the 36th minute, helping Sunderland lead the Gunners at home.

The 26-year-old Ballard serves as a central defender. He came from Arsenal's youth training. He has been rented out many times for training. He finally moved to Sunderland for 2.3 million euros in 2022 and failed to play in the Arsenal first team. Perhaps it was the frustration in his Gunners career that gave him unprecedented motivation to face his old club.

In addition to Ballard, Xhaka, another former Arsenal player in Sunderland, also performed very well in this game. His 3 steals and 7 clearances were the highest in the game.

It is worth noting that in the 34th minute, Xhaka also brought down Merino in an attack that destroyed Arsenal. The former Arsenal captain then shouted angrily and provocatively at Merino, who was still lying on the ground, which also triggered strong dissatisfaction among some Arsenal fans.

The 33-year-old Xhaka has played for Arsenal for 7 seasons and played a total of 293 games for the team. But because of his controversial performance in this game, I am afraid he will also anger many Arsenal fans.