Mannone’s the man, says Pete Sixsmith, safely back across the Pennines from a great night out in Manchester. Let him tell the story of a rollercoaster of emotions, hopes that fell, rose, fell again and rose – and even that misses out the odd fall and rise – before victory was ours …
Pete Sixsmith captured it in his seven-word verdict: ‘Oh Vito Mannone. Oh Vito Mannoe. Hero.’ Now it’s Gus Poyet‘s turn and he rightly hails a wonderful night, a tremendous team effort (from the keeper’s pentalty shotoout saves to the glorious 9,000-strong away support) and a result that brings sunshine shining on a season that looked so gloomy …
This was a magnificent effort, full of passion and valour, the Wembley win secured in the end by two Vito Mannone saves in the penalty shootout. For 36 minutes, Sunderland had held out, carved out a chance of their own and looked reasonably comfortable. Then Jonny Evans was allowed to charge forward unchallenged to head in a miscued Welbeck shot. And still we held out, at various stages looking the better side without often showing real threat. United rarely troubled Mannone. With extra time almost done, Phil Bardsley hit a shot from outside the area and David de Gea fumbled it, the ball spinning off him into goal. Hernandez equalised almost immediately but the dramatic finale saw Sunderland win 2-1 on penalties … Wembley here we come. Pete Sixsmith was delirious as he started the cross-Pennines trek home ..:
‘CSB’ won the Salut! Sunderland mug auction hands down and his £30 will go to Water Aid. Pete Sixsmith has sometimes had more water than he’d like at his hillside Shildon residence (Busty Bank to the initiated) but hopes Guy Poyet’s defence will have plugged the leaks evident on Saturday in time for tonight. Talk about contrived links …
No rocket science needed. Avoid defeat and we’re at Wembley. Lose 1-0 and we’re out if it stays that way in extra time..
That is only one-goal defeat that sends us straight out. A 2-1 defeat after extra time means penalties while 3-2, 4-3, 5-4 etc means we win on away goals. Correct me if I am wrong in my understanding of the Capital One Cup rules.
The other possibilities are that we win again – unlikely but possible – or they breeze past us as if we weren’t there, somewhat less unlikely.
So Wembley is one step, albeit a long one, away. At least we can put relegation fears on the back burner. The build-up starts here.
Long ago, Newcastle United became engulfed in the sleazy saga of Freddy Shepherd and Doug Hall, exposed by the News of the World’s fake sheikh after, as Wikipedia delicately puts it, ‘mocking the club’s own supporters for spending extortionate amounts of money on merchandise, calling female supporters “dogs” and mocking star striker Alan Shearer by calling him the “Mary Poppins of football”, all while frequenting a brothel’. Monsieur Salut and Jerry Lawton* found themselves covering the tale for their respective newspapers (the Telegraph displaying a sense of humour by sending a Sunderland fan to do it). We gleefully watched United lose a midweek match at home to Crystal Palace and became firm friends. It’s taken a while to get Jerry, a staunch Man Utd fan, to do a ‘Who are You?’ – we haven’t always been in the same division – but here it is ahead of the Capital One Cup semifinal second leg …
M Salut writes: Pete Sixsmith puts the whingeing Scot in charge of Man Utd in his place – perhaps along with another whingeing Scot watching from the stands at the mess his successor is making of things – as he presents the best assessment of last night you’ll find anywhere (I owe him a Christmas present but would have said it anyway) …
No harm in rubbing it in for all it’s worth while the joy from last night is still casting a warm glow over Sunderland’s loyal support, near and far.
David Moyes, a manager in trouble if ever there was one as his team looks more lower mid-table than Champions League, attacks the referee Andre Marriner and his assistants, blaming their calls for Sunderand’s deserved 2-1 win. Ryan Giggs adds to the sourness of Moyes’s grapes by calling the officials’ decisions “laughable”.
Isn’t it grand when, for once, a Sunderland player taunted by opposition fans over past connections pops up to bite them on the bum? Gus Poyet, in his post-match e-mail, identifies the arrival of Adam Johnson, our purchase from Manchester’s stronger club, as the match-changing moment of a heartening cup victory. It’s only half-time, as Jake points ou, but Man Utd are no longer invincible at Old Trafford and the boss says he would gladly have taken a one-goal lead if offered it before the …
Pete Sixsmith was a happy man again as he saw Sunderland take a psychologically important if slender lead into the Old Trafford second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final. The first goal came on the stroke of half time from Ryan Giggs’s own goal, under pressure from Phil Bardsley as Wes Brown’s ball across goal made it a trio of Man Utd links in the move. Vidic’s header levelled but a typically determined Sunderland performance brought victory, Adam Johnson fouled by Cleverley in the box after a great run and Borini hammering home the penalty. United, arrogant underachievers this season, will still start favourites for the ‘second half’ but the Lads have the lead and new boy Marcos Alonso was man of the match. Pete’s verdict arrived late – probably the fault of M Salut’s mobile – but now replaces the contingency version ‘now start doing this in the league!’ …