Stewart double sends shockwaves through Highbury

Arsenal 2 Sunderland 3

Having scored more goals in one Worthington Cup match this season – a 7-0 win at Cambridge – than in 12 Premiership games, Sunderland approached Highbury with a spring in their step last night, and were walking on air after transforming a 2-0 half-time deficit into victory. Marcus Stewart scored twice and made another in the space of 15 minutes to bring about what was technically a first victory for Howard Wilkinson and fifth defeat in six games for Arsenal – the two sides having made 20 changes between them from their weekend matches.

"It helps the morale of those who played and hopefully there'll be a carry over," Wilkinson said, his mind already on matters of greater weight like the forthcoming Premiership games against Tottenham and Liverpool. Stewart's confidence should certainly be boosted, his contribution all the more dramatic given that he had possibly been the least effective player on the pitch for 45 minutes, while employed in the hole behind the front two.

At the same stage of the competition a year ago, Arsène Wenger had fielded a side of similar strength against an even weaker Manchester United, who found themselves 3-0 down by half-time to a hat-trick from Sylvain Wiltord.

Although Wiltord, now an established first-choice, was allowed to bring a note last night, Sunderland might have suffered the same fate. Mark Rossiter, a young right-back, was given a daunting full debut against Robert Pires, and neither he nor any team-mates were close enough to prevent the reigning Footballer of the Year scoring after 12 minutes. Giovanni van Bronckhorst, also continuing along the road to full fitness, pulled back a low free-kick and Pires side-footed high into the net from 20 yards.

Twenty minutes later the struggling visitors were undone by a wonderful pass from Nwankwo Kanu, curling into the path of Francis Jeffers, who had timed his run well to jab the ball past Jürgen Macho with the outside of his left foot.

Arsenal were well in control at that point but the game turned on its head in the 56th minute. The previously anonymous Stewart flicked on Paul Thirlwell's corner at the near post and Kevin Kyle, the young Scottish international, was unmarked as he headed in.

It was deserved reward for several hundred Sunderland supporters among a crowd of less than 20,000 and turned out to be the start of an extraordinary revival. Fourteen minutes later Stewart equalised by heading in Michael Proctor's cross, and in the next attack, the same player glanced in Matt Piper's centre from the opposite flank. Wenger, who made 11 changes, but still fielded six full internationals, said: "There were many positive points but defending was our weakest one."

Arsenal (4-4-2): Taylor; Luzhny, Stepanovs, Tavlaridis, Touré; Pennant (Volz, 81), Svard (Garry, 81), Van Bronckhorst, Pires; Kanu, Jeffers. Substitutes not used: Shaaban (gk), Sidwell, Thomas.

Sunderland (4-3-1-2): Macho; Rossiter, Thome, Varga, McCartney; Williams, Schwarz (Piper, h-t), Thirlwell; Stewart; Kyle, Proctor. Substitutes not used: Turns (gk), Clark, Byrne, Dickman.

Referee: A Wiley (Burntwood).