It’s The Hope We Can’t Stand – Again!

Article by e-Sunderland Correspondent Ben Mummery

Where to start?!

There isn’t anything I can write in this piece about Sunderland the club, or their last two performances that no fan hasn’t already pondered and mulled over again and again. Sunderland simply defy whatever it is that’s expected of them at any given time, regardless of what that may be. When they play “winnable” games at home, they lose. When they haven’t got a prayer away from home against potential champions, they pinch points and win in style. Inconsistency has haunted the Black Cats all season, and now the chickens are coming home to roost, Poyet’s men must buck that trend and string together that much promised, all too illusive run of results to keep themselves alive and remain in the premier league.

With five games to go, Sunderland went into Saturday evening’s away encounter at Stamford Bridge knowing that no team had ever succeeded in defeating Jose Mourinho on his home patch as Chelsea manager, and being six points short of having their heads above the water, the Portuguese manager’s record looked as safe as houses.

Boss Gus Poyet named an unchanged team from Wednesday night’s stunning 2-2 draw at Manchester City, while Chelsea went with Cameroonian super star Samuel Eto’o up front, Brazilian flyer Willian on one wing, and Egyptian wide man Mohamed Salah on the other – a formidable attack in anyone’s eyes.

It didn’t take long for Eto’o to fire his team in front when left unattended by erstwhile skipper Lee Cattermole at a corner. His thirteenth minute goal had been coming, as Sunderland struggled to soak up prolonged early pressure, and red n’ white heads sank as the realisation set in that this could be a long afternoon.

However it was only a meagre six minutes later that Marcos Alonso’s eighteen yard shot was parried away from goal by reserve keeper Mark Schwarzer, and man-of-the-moment Connor Wickham pounced to tap home the Black Cat’s equaliser and give the away fans real hope that Chelsea’s title contenders were not completely impregnable.

The blues could consider themselves extremely fortunate to have eleven men on the pitch, following Ramires’ forearm smash on Seb Larsson’s face midway through the first half, an incident which miraculously, was missed by referee Mike Dean from a distance of two to three yards, however the sides went into the changing rooms at the break with even numbers, the home team having had the majority of possession and chances. Adam Johnson had a clear break on goal, however seemingly refused to hit his shot with this right foot, only to be stripped of the ball in the opposition area.

The second half saw both teams ring changes, with Chelsea adding the fire power of Demba Ba, Fernando Torres, and the ever reliable and industrious Andre Schurrle, Mourinho looked to be giving Sunderland the kitchen sink. Poyet responded with fresh legs of his own, as Altidore replaced Wickham, and ace in the hole Emanuelle Giaccherini replaced Adam Johnson.

Sunderland, who’d sat a little too deep in the first half, looked to be getting up the pitch well, a tactic that paid off when the big American striker’s legs were clipped in the box, and Fabio Borini coolly dispatched the subsequent penalty. The penalty, though not a shocker, was a definite foul, as left back Azpilicueta’s trailing foot clearly infringed upon Altidore’s boot, and tripped the USA international, an offence which while not in any way malicious or even desperately clumsy, would have been a definite foul outside of the penalty area, and left the officials with no choice but to point to the spot.

Sunderland’s ability to withstand a barrage of late pressure and defend for their lives was a welcome sight for all the fans, especially after the heart break of conceding a late equaliser at the Etihad earlier in the week. The players showed guts, desire, and a real want to win. These are qualities we’ve not always seen this season, especially in the league, and the three points taken from the Bridge lifted the Wearsiders to within three points of safety, a feat which not even the most die-hard optimist could have dreamt possible one week earlier – in fact the only fans cheering as loud as the Mackems were the Scousers in red, to whom we handed a five point lead at the top of the table with four games to go, that with the added irony that a Liverpool player, Borini, scored the winning goal against their title rivals.

Sunderland are still in a desperately precarious position. Their home form has completely deserted them this season, and three of the four games that remain for us are at home. A win at home to fellow strugglers this weekend is an absolute must, as relegation rivals Fulham welcome FA cup finalists Hull City to Craven Cottage. Should Hull do us a favour and defeat the West Londoners, a win against Cardiff at the SOL will lift us clear of relegation, with a trip to chaotic Old Trafford next up, and Sunderland have proven how well they can defeat the big teams away from home! This said, with the introduction of Man United legend Ryan Giggs as head coach this week, who knows what can and will happen.

Cardiff, Manchester United, then home fixtures against West Brom and Swansea are all Sunderland have left to remain in the top flight of English football, and the Black Cat’s only consistent, their inconsistency, must be once and for all put to bed.

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