Sunderland produced a determined display against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium to claim a goalless draw which confirms their Premier League status for another season.
The Black Cats' goal came under siege throughout the 90 minutes, but a resilient - and at times fortunate - performance from Dick Advocaat's men kept the Gunners at bay.
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As expected, the home side saw plenty of the ball in the opening stages as their opponents happily sat back and soaked up pressure, but Arsene Wenger's men had to be patient to create their first chance of the evening.
That came with 15 minutes on the clock when the returning Jack Wilshere, who was in the side for his first start since November, raced on to Alexis Sanchez's pass and charged into the box, only for Costel Pantilimon to pounce on a loose touch and collect the ball.
Arsenal began to increase the speed of their attacking moves as the first half wore on, with Aaron Ramsey picking out Wilshere once more on the edge of the box, but the Englishman's shot ended high into the Emirates Stadium stands.
The Gunners continued to push on, coming close twice in quick succession when Sanchez's scuffed back-post effort was latched on to by Santi Cazorla, who in turn saw his shot kept out in a fairly straightforward manner by Pantilimon.
Wilshere turned creator as the interval approached, lofting a pass into the path of Mesut Ozil to blaze over, before doing likewise for Olivier Giroud, who himself failed to make the most of the opening by firing wide.
Pantilimon was called into action soon after, this time keeping out Sanchez's low drive, which was again fired in from range as Sunderland continued to restrict the Gunners, while Adam Johnson's strike deep into the opening 45 minutes sent out a warning message to Arsenal.
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Despite dominating possession in the first half, it was Sunderland who came out of the blocks the quicker of the two sides following the restart, with Steven Fletcher forcing David Ospina into making a save, before the Gunners stopper composed himself to keep out full-back Patrick van Aanholt.
Normal service was soon resumed, however, as Giroud clipped the crossbar in rather fortuitous circumstances with his cross from the byline, and the Frenchman's smart touch moments later brought a fine stop out of Pantilimon to keep the scoreline level.
The Romanian stopper produced another top save to thwart Kieran Gibbs's headed attempt just short of the hour mark, although the Black Cats, now winless in their last 11 against Arsenal, squandered a glorious chance up the other end when Fletcher failed to dink the ball over Ospina when clean through on goal.
The more open feel to things suited Arsenal, despite nearly falling behind through that Fletcher opening, and they could have opened the scoring themselves when substitute Theo Walcott used his pace to poke the ball beyond Pantilimon, with only a Sebastian Coates clearance on the line enough to preserve the precious point for Sunderland.
It appeared that Advocaat and his men had their lucky stars to thank when Coates failed to clear Ramsey's cross, which struck Billy Jones and came back off the post with his keeper well and truly beaten.
Another Gunners substitute in Tomas Rosicky also caused danger when being introduced in the final 10 minutes, while Walcott and Ramsey were twice denied by a stubborn and determined Pantilimon late on to ensure that Sunderland's top-flight safety is confirmed.
An emotional Advocaat led the celebrations at full time, meaning that it is now between Newcastle United and Hull City for the last relegation spot heading into the final matchday.
Daniel Lewis
