Phew. It was
nervy. It was gritty. It was hard fought. It was hard earned. On another
day, Sunderland would have drawn, or heaven forbid, even lost this game
as we have done many times over the years. Not today. Something felt a
little different this time. We rode our luck towards the end of the
game, Jordan Pickford in particular producing one top drawer save in
added time, Wes Morgan thankfully blasting the rebound wildly into Row
Z. Sunderland had managed to hang on, showing great resolve and endeavor
to get over the finishing line. They typically made us sweat of course,
Leicester halving our advantage with just ten minutes remaining on the
clock. The character and spirit the players showed got us over the line,
collecting a massive three points in the process.
The opening 25
minutes were arguably the best Sunderland have produced this season,
creating a good half dozen openings as the game was firmly taken to last
season's Champions. Duncan Watmore and Victor Anichebe lashed efforts
over the bar, the latter also having a shot blocked. Jermain Defoe
miscued a left footed effort from 12 yards, his first sniff at goal of
the afternoon. In Patrick Van Aanholt, Sunderland possessed their
greatest attacking threat. He charged and overlapped continuously down
the left hand side, he and Anichebe giving Danny Simpson a torrid time. Van Aanholt has his
critics, certainly those who point towards his defensive frailties, but
he was very influential in the first forty-five minutes. It was the best
opening period of a game Sunderland have produced this season but they
couldn't quite turn their early dominance into a goal. Leicester were
reduced to long balls up to Slimani and pot shots at goal, as the hosts
defended their goal admirably.
I felt the second
half was a much more even affair, certainly in terms of possession of
the football. It was a huge plus having both Jan Kirchhoff and Seb
Larsson back in and around the squad, David Moyes introducing the pair
at half time. Larsson in particular showed no signs of rust, getting
straight into the game. His combative nature will be a big bonus for
Sunderland over the congested festive period, as will his experience and
nouse in the middle of the park. Having Kirchhoff back and keeping him
fit will be of great significance too. He is a class act. As Larsson
swung a corner into the Leicester penalty area, Kirchhoff's attempted
header ended up skimming off Huth and into the bottom corner, the relief
around the Stadium of Light was palpable. You always felt Sunderland
needed another, with Jermain Defoe duly obliging with yet another
trademark finish. Is there any stopping this man at the moment? But
Sunderland wouldn't be Sunderland unless our long suffering supporters
were put through the ringer. Sub Shinzi Okazaki halved the deficit with
ten to play but after a somewhat frantic last few minutes (the agony
intensifying due to six minutes of stoppage time) Sunderland hung on to
claim three precious points. Lamine Kone and Papy Djilobodji were heroic
at the back in the final stages. I do believe there may be the makings
of a partnership there. So much so, I thought the latter was our best
performer. The only real negative was the unfortunate Watmore being
stretchered off as the game reached its climax. Hopefully the injury is
not too serious. Quite simply, it all takes time. Time for Moyes. Time
for the new players to bed in. Time for our injured players to return.
After three wins in four, it's seems we're finally heading in the right
direction.
Sunderland 2 (Huth og, Defoe)
Leicester City 1 (Okazaki)
MOM: Papy Djilobodji
Att: 39,725
Att: 39,725
