March 2004. However, Arca missed five matches, due to a knee injury he sustained in a 1–0 win over Sheffield United in a FA Cup match. It wasn't until on 27 March 2004 when he made his return to the starting line-up, in a 2–1 win over Derby County. Having regained his first team place for the next five matches, he suffered a knee injury that saw him sidelined for the rest of the 2003–04 season. At the end of the 2003–04 season, Arca went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scoring six times in all competitions. For his performance, he was named PFA Team of the Year for the First Division for the 2003–04 season. Ahead of the 2004–05 season, Arca was linked a move away from Sunderland, as Manager McCarthy predicted that he would leave the club should they failed to achieve promotion back to the Premier League. But Arca, himself, said he's happy to stay at Sunderland, leading him to begin open talks with the club over a new contract. At the start of the 2004–05 season, he continued to remain as first team regular, playing in the midfield position. It wasn't until on 14 September 2004 when Arca scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Nottingham Forest. However, he missed two matches, due to a sustained leg injury. After returning to the first team from injury, Arca then scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 30 October 2004; followed–up by providing a hat–trick assists, in a 3–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. During a 2–0 defeat against Millwall on 5 November 2004, Arca made V-signs to Millwall supporters on three occasions after being involved in a tussle with Kevin Muscat; leading the Football Association reported the allegations to the police. It was announced on 12 November 2004 that he signed a three–year contract, keeping him until 2007. By the end of 2004, he added two more goals, which were against Burnley and Leeds United. After being sidelined with another injury at the beginning of January, Arca didn't score again until on 19 February 2005, in a 2–1 loss against Brighton & Hove Albion. In a follow–up match against Rotherham United, he suffered an injury and was substituted in the 33rd minute, resulting in him missing two matches. It wasn't until on 12