Sunderland earned a dramatic late point against Premier League leaders Arsenal when Brian Brobbey struck in the 94th minute. The equaliser and manager Mikel Arteta’s complaint about the “chaos” of Sunderland’s direct plan dominated the headlines, but one of the home side’s stranger ploys also attracted attention: they moved the advertising hoardings to reduce the space Arsenal had for long throw-in run-ups.
Sunderland boss Régis Le Bris joked that “it might have been the wind,” but the adjustment clearly disturbed Arsenal’s set-piece routine — Declan Rice still launched throws, yet the visitors failed to score from them and the match finished 1-1. It was not a new idea; the Black Cats had used the same trick in last season’s Championship play-offs against Coventry, and former long-throw specialist Rory Delap has long argued that teams go out of their way to blunt such threats.
Across football history, teams have taken inventive, sometimes bizarre approaches to gain an edge. A few notable examples:
Norwich’s pink away room In 2018-19 Norwich painted their away dressing room a deep pink, believing the shade could calm opponents and even lower te
