Monsieur Salut writes: Sixer was absent again and we had few expectations. Seeing Cattermole in the starting XI and Anichebe on the bench (sent on late-ish) raised spirits, but we knew we were in such dire straits that only a win, with many more to follow, would do. After doing pretty well for an hour, with the usual lack of punch, Sunderland succumbed to a more determined spell of Leicester play: Oviedo and Kone missed Albrighton’s cross and Slimani’s unchallenged header beat Pickford. Then, after very nearly equalising in a blistering five-second spell with Anichebe hitting a post and Defoe firing into the side netting, Sunderland were down and out. Billy Jones slipped, Albrighton sped off down the left again and Vardy was there to smash home his cross. Here’s to a push for promotion …
April 4 Leicester City 2 (0) Sunderland 0 (0) * Competed unthreateningly for an hour, then mugged
April 1 Watford 1 (0) Sunderland (0) 0 **Tried hard but just not good enough
March 18 Sunderland (0) 0 Burnley (0) 0 Failure to take chances makes relegation certain … later Failed to take one of four chances
March 5 Sunderland (0) 0 Manchester City (1) Better performance but the same old result
Feb 25 Everton (1) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 Everton looked comfortable throughout. We looked doomed
Feb 11 Sunderland 0 (0) Southampton 4 (2) Second best in every facet of game
Feb 4 Crystal Palace 0 (0) Sunderland 4 (4)* Big Sam, Big Sam, what’s the score?
Jan 31 Sunderland 0 (0) Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0) Disciplined and well organised. A deserved point
Jan 21 West Bromwich Albion (2) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 * Wretched. Wretched. Wretched. Wretched. But bravo Honeyman or Sunderland torn to shreds at the Hawthorns
Jan 17 FA Cup 3rd Round Replay: Burnley (1) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 Now we can fully concentrate on relegation.
And a second – This team will struggle in the Championship
January 14 Sunderland (1) 1 Stoke City (3) 3 Any hopes of avoiding relegation extinguished here – that was at 3.37pm. Later: Marginally better in second half. Still awful and finally, despairingly, The bitter end has arrived. Utterly woeful
January 7 FA Cup 3rd Round: Sunderland (0) 0 Burnley (0) 0 * Poor. No revenge for that 4-1 drubbing
And Sixer’s verdict post Dean Street: Sounds a shocker. Replay to be avoided
January 2 Sunderland (1) 2 Liverpool (1) 2 Unexpected but thoroughly deserved. There is hope
December 31 Burnley (1) 4 Sunderland (0) 1 Probably the worst Sunderland display this century
December 26 Manchester United (1) 3 Sunderland (0) 1 Disappointing ending after a hard working display
December 17 Sunderland (0) 1 Watford (0) 0 Dug deep for a welcome Christmas present
December 14 Sunderland (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 1 A decent performance but not enough quality
December 10 Swansea City (0) 3 Sunderland (0) 0* Woeful performance resurrects all the old fears
December 3 Sunderland (0) 2 Leicester City (0) 1 * Superb team display; heroes all over pitch
November 26 Liverpool (0) 2 Sunderland (0) 0 * Committed, organised resistance overcome by better side
November 19 Sunderland 3 (1 ) Hull City 0 (0 ) Victor’s the boy. We have some hope
November 5 Bournemouth (1) 1 Sunderland (1) 2 *Anichebe typifies gutsy display that gives hope
October 29 Sunderland (0) 1 Arsenal (1) 4 Spectacular collapse as soon as Giroud appeared
October 26 EFL Cup 4th Round: Southampton (0) 1 Sunderland (0) 0 * More fight but still no real threat
October 22 West Ham United (0) 1 Sunderland (0) 0 A real killer. Deserved a point. Damn
October 15 Stoke City (2) 2 Sunderland (0) Another inadequate performance that offers little hope
October 1 Sunderland (0) 1 West Bromwich Albion (1) 1 Awful lot of cracks to paper over
September 24 Sunderland (1) 2 Crystal Palace (0) 3 Shambolic defending, barely of Wearside League quality
EFL Cup 3rd Round: September 21 QPR (0) 1 Sunderland (0) 2 *Paddy McNair our new Defoe? No but…
September 18: Tottenham Hotspur 1 (0) Sunderland 0 (0) Point lost thanks to traditional defensive howler
September 12 Sunderland 0 (0) Everton 3 (0) Torn apart in an abysmal second half
August 27. Southampton 1 (0) Sunderland 1 (0) Disappointing at the end, as ever here
August 24. EFL Cup 2nd Round: Sunderland 1 (0) Shrewsbury Town 0 (0) Poor game settled by an excellent goal
August 21: Sunderland 1 (0) Middlesbrough 2 (2) Another season of struggle on the cards
August 13: Man City (1) 2 Sunderland (0) 1 Held them well but tired legs told
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