IT could have been a massacre, but in the end Sunderland left the Emirates Stadium with their heads held high.

Trailing 2-0 after just 15 minutes, Roy Keane's men looked to be heading for their worst defeat of the season by some margin.

It might have arrived had Abou Diaby's 19th-minute strike not been wrongly ruled out for offside but, from that point onwards, Sunderland's players mounted one of the most unlikely comebacks of the campaign.

With Kenwyne Jones leading the line superbly as a lone striker, the Black Cats' 4-5-1 formation allowed the visitors to carry much more of an attacking threat than they have posed in a number of their recent outings.

Liam Miller, Ross Wallace and Grant Leadbitter all seemed to relish the opportunity to break from deep, while Dwight Yorke pulled the strings in a steady display at the base of midfield.

Their efforts counted for nothing, of course, once Robin van Persie grabbed a winner, but Sunderland's second-half spirit suggests there is plenty for Keane to build on this season. Eventually, though, spirited performances like this are going to have to be turned into points.