Match report: Sunderland 3 Norwich City 0
UNSTOPPABLE ... Fraizer Campbell volleys the opener.
SUNDERLAND moved into their highest league position of the season on the back of arguably their most complete performance of the campaign.
Much had been made of how tricky a fixture this might have been for Sunderland, and Martin O’Neill confessed afterwards he feared the Canaries would be a banana skin in the Black Cats’ upwardly mobile path.
But over the course of the 90 minutes, Sunderland made a mockery of the fact that the visitors came into the game a point and a place above the hosts; O’Neill’s men outplaying their opposite numbers in every department.
Sunderland’s defence frustrated an attack which had scored in all but two of their last 17 games.
Their midfield won all the battles, and dictated the tempo against a team who have won praise for being strong across the centre of the park this season.
And Sunderland’s attack at times terrorised a visiting rearguard which might have left the Stadium of Light feeling grateful only to concede just three goals.
Most of all, though O’Neill would have been most pleased that his team outperformed Norwich in one particular area – Sunderland worked harder and showed great er desire than a team which has used those twin virtues to somehow propel their way into the top half of the table as the season begins to turn towards home.
“We were second best all over the pitch,” was visiting manager Paul Lambert’s assessment, as Sunderland dominated the game and only slackened their grip in the dying stages with the game already won.
From the start, you could tell Sunderland were up for it and no one more so than man-of-the-match Fraizer Campbell, the miracle man who has put 17 months of career-threatening injuries behind him with two goals in two games upon his first-team return.
He opened the scoring midway through the first half with an absolute stunner, crashing a dropping ball across keeper John Ruddy with the outside of his right foot.
It was right up there with the best goals ever scored at the Stadium of Light and, after shell-shocked Norwich failed to respond – defender Zak Whitbread heading a free-kick wide from seven yards out – Sunderland doubled their lead barely half a dozen minutes after first going in front.
If Campbell’s goal was all about vision and technique, then Sunderland’s second was a study in individual skill, vision and team-work.
Stephane Sessegnon nutmegged Bradley Johnson, found Campbell on the right wing, then raced into the box to head home the perfect cross from his strike partner.
Sunderland successfully saw the game out to the break, and killed the game off nine minutes after the interval when full-back Phil Bardsley cut inside, and from a narrow angle drove in a cross which defender Daniel Ayala turned past Ruddy from close range.
Game over. The Wearsiders were again to notch a clean sheet – their fourth in their last seven matches – and the fans could enjoy themselves on the long canter down the home straight to victory.
Campbell and Sessegnon were subbed before the end which allowed them to go off to standing ovations from the appreciative home crowd.
In the last 14 meetings between these two teams there has never been more than a single goal separating them at the final whistle – a testimony to how nip and tuck it has been between them
down the years.
But last night we saw a team which is very much on the up, against a side whose race seems nearly to be run.
Norwich will hope they don’t emulate Peter Reid’s first promotion team, or Blackpool last season, which were in similar positions at this stage of the season only to completely run out of gas, collapse, and end up relegated.
Sunderland, meanwhile, can dream of emulating Reid’s most successful Sunderland team, which finished seventh two seasons in a row.
SUNDERLAND: Mignolet 6, Bardsley 7, Turner 6, O’Shea 6, Richardson 6 (Bridge 82, 6), Larsson 6, Gardner 6, Colback 7, McClean 8, Sessegnon 8 (Meyler 82, 6), CAMPBELL 9 (Ji 74, 6). Subs not used: Westwood, Elmohamady, Lynch, Wickham.
NORWICH CITY: Ruddy 6, Martin 6, Whitbread 6, Ayala 6, Naughton 5, Crofts 5, SURMAN 6, Hoolahan 5 (Pilkington 62, 6), Johnson 4 (Bennett 62, 6), Morison 6, Holt 5 (Wilbraham 78, 6). Subs not used: Steer, Jackson, Fox, Ward.
Man of the match: Fraizer Campbell. Wonder goal and wonderful assist.
Highlight: Either of Sunderland’s first two goals – utterly different strikes – but united by the fact they were both goals of the very highest Premier League quality.
Lowlight: The quality of Sunderland’s pitch is poor right now, cutting up into divots and threatening to dent the sharpness of the home team’s passing play.
Goals: Campbell 22, Sessegnon 28, Ayala own goal 54.
Bookings: Gardner 19, Naughton 90.
Ref: Lee Mason (Bolton)
Att: 34, 476
Twitter: @shieldsgazsport
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