Five things we learned as Arsenal beat Sunderland in front of a sparsely populated Emirates Stadium

Alexis Sanchez rescues Arsenal again, while both Petr Cech and Jordan Pickford impress in goal

Sanchez scored two late goals against Sunderland (Getty)

Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0 in their penultimate home game of the season — but did it the hard way.

Arsene Wenger's side could not find a way past Sunderland in the first-half, with Jordan Pickford in particularly inspired form for the away side.

But in the second-half Alexis Sanchez scored a brace to secure all three points for Arsenal.

The win means the north London club remain in the hunt for a place in the top four ahead of the final weekend of the season.

Arsenal are now just a point behind fourth-placed Liverpool, and they must beat Everton and hope Jurgen Klopp's side drop points against relegated Middlesbrough at home if they are to play in the Champions League next season.

Here are five things we learned from the game at the Emirates Stadium...

Arsenal must keep Alexis

Sanchez proved the gamechanger against Sunderland (Getty)

Alexis Sanchez decided to play through the pain against Sunderland, and without him leading the line Arsenal would not have beaten already-relegated Sunderland. The forward's contract situation is still up in the air, and some sections of the fan base have started to tire of his dismissive attitude, but the Chilean remains the club's best player.

He scored both of the goals in this 2-0 win and has now been directly involved in 32 Premier League goals this season: more than any other player. He remains a special talent and Arsene Wenger simply has to continue building his team around him.

... but their attack falters again

Another chance goes begging for Arsenal (Getty)

Arsenal’s defence has come in for a lot of criticism this season, with the Gunners conceding more goals than any club in the top seven, but their attack has also been incredibly underwhelming at times.

Olivier Giroud was in particularly profligate form here, and there is simply no excuse for Arsenal taking over 70 minutes to score against an already relegated side. Sunderland’s ragged defence was comically poor at times, with Arsenal taking 24 shots before they finally broke the deadlock – and yet Arsenal failed to put them to the sword.

Cech leads by example...

Cech spared Arsenal's blushes (Getty)

Wenger made Cech his captain for this fixture, and the veteran goalkeeper led by example. Not only did he make some fine saves – including a great stop to deny Defoe shooting across the face of goal in the second-half – but his quick reactions also spared Arsenal from the indignity of conceding one of the worst own-goals seen in the Premier League.

Right at the beginning of the second-half, Nacho Monreal carelessly played a backpass to Cech without thinking to note whether or not the keeper was on his line. He wasn’t. The ball looked to be heading towards the back of the net, with Cech doing very well to scamper back and flick the ball around the post. He conceded an indirect free-kick, but that was far more preferable to a dismal own-goal.

... and Pickford was in fine form too

Pickford furthered his reputation with a fine performance (Getty)

When the Premier League vultures come to pick over Sunderland’s sorry carcass this summer, Jermain Defoe will likely be one of the first players to move on. But Jordan Pickford would arguably be the bigger loss.

The 23-year-old has had a busy season and it didn’t take long for him to be called into action here, as he dived full-stretch at the feet of Olivier Giroud to bravely block the Frenchman’s close-range shot. He went on to make several world-class saves in the second-half, including an incredible reaction stop to deny a low effort from Danny Welbeck.

Without him in goal, Arsenal would have won by a cricket score. Everton and Manchester City are among the clubs interested in his signature. It is not hard to see why.

Arsenal still haven’t rediscovered their mojo

A number of fans decided not to attend (Getty)

In the wake of three morale-boosting Premier League victories – including a fine win over old rivals Manchester United – and with an FA Cup final on the horizon, it’s all too easy to forget that Arsenal have had one of the most tumultuous seasons in their modern history.

But despite their late charge for the top four, something is rotten in the state of Arsenal. A number of their supporters decided to avoid this match, with the two teams playing out this one-sided contest in front of large swathes of empty seats. The apathy of the fan base will be a concern to the club’s board, but whether it inspires them to act decisively this summer remains to be seen.