Match report: Sunderland 2 Swansea City 0
JOY OF SESS ... Stephane Sessegnon celebrates his goal against Swansea.
THIS is the sort of game Sunderland would have lost earlier in the season, or drawn at best.
But there is a renewed sense of purpose in these same players who so often struggled to succeed in the first half of the campaign – a side galvanised by the arrival and influence of Martin O’Neill.
The goalscorers hogged the headlines over the weekend and rightly so, given the quality of Stephane Sessegnon and Craig Gardner’s finishing.
But victory needed to be nothing less than a complete team effort with Swansea – so much more impressive than they were when Sunderland met them at the Liberty Stadium back in August – snapping at the Wearsiders’ heels all afternoon.
The unsung heroes were the defenders, part of a rearguard which has, on the quiet, now only conceded four goals in O’Neill’s first nine games in charge.
Full-backs Phil Bardsley and Kieran Richardson in particular deserve special mention for the way they contained the attacking threat of the visitors’ dangermen, wingers Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer.
Wes Brown’s return in place of injured Matt Kilgallon meant Sunderland fielded an all ex-Man United backline and the centre-half was called on to show his regained fitness immediately – dispossessing Dyer in the box with a crunching, but perfectly-timed tackle, in the second minute.
Five minutes later Bardsley needed to be equally decisive to deprive the darting Dyer.
But in between those two challenges, Sunderland created the best chance of the opening exchanges when Richardson crossed from deep on the left wing and Seb Larsson at the far post set himself well before driving in a low first-time shot which Michel Vorm turned wide with his boot at the near post.
Sunderland received a setback when Nicklas Bendtner took an accidental boot in the eye from Angel Rangel in the ninth minute and was replaced by Connor Wickham.
And things could have got a lot worse for the Wearsiders when the impressive Glyfi Sigurdsson found Scott Sinclair, who shot wide from eight yards with the goal gaping.
It was a costly miss for within seconds, Sunderland were ahead.
Sessegnon made ground down the left wing, passed to McClean inside the area and when the youngster’s control let him down, it was the African who seized on the loose ball to score his fifth goal of the season.
Sessegnon wafted a fading shot over keeper Michel Vorm and into the net.
Sunderland might have doubled their lead in the 18th minute had David Vaughan not got under his shot on the edge of the area.
And from then on, Swansea got their passing game into top gear and bossed the rest of the half.
They threatened in the 25th minute when former Boro striker Danny Graham should have done so much better with a header.
The rest of the half was all Swansea – Sigurdsson and Graham going close to scoring.
The visitors fought for control after the break, but Sunderland were utterly dogged in defence, and created the first chance of the second-half when Sessegnon just failed to connect with an overhead kick from Larsson’s right-wing cross in the 51st minute.
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Sigurdsson lifted a fine free-kick over the wall, and Mignolet dived down to his left to parry the shot before the ball was cleared.
Swansea had begun to dominate again, but Sunderland rarely looked troubled.
The hosts might have put the game beyond the Swans in the 76th minute, but Sessegnon headed narrowly wide, at the near post.
And then in the 80th minute Wickham flashed a vicious shot just off target.
Swansea replied as Sinclair fired narrowly wide.
Just as in the first-half, a great Swansea chance was followed immediately by a Sunderland goal
Sessegnon capped a lively display by finding the unmarked Gardner on the right of goal.
The midfielder chested the ball down and shot in one fluid movement, his powerfully struck half-volley arcing high over stranded keeper Vorm, and dipping just under the crossbar.
It was a fabulous finish and a fitting finale to a game which showed Sunderland’s resilience and spirit.
Victory preserves Sunderland’s superb unbeaten home record under O’Neill – 10 points taken from a possible 12.
Twitter: @gazettesport
SUNDERLAND: Mignolet 6, Bardsley 7, O’Shea 7, Brown 7, Richardson 7, Larsson 6 (Elmohamady 89), Vaughan 6 (Gardner 78), Cattermole 6, McClean 6, SESSEGNON 8, Bendtner 5 (Wickham 12, 6). Subs not used: Westwood, Turner, Meyler, Ji.
SWANSEA: Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Williams, Taylor, Britton (Routledge 78), DYER, Sigurdsson (McEachran 66), Allen, Sinclair, Graham. Subs not used: Tremmel, Monk, Moore, Agustien, Richards.
Highlight: Both goals were special, but for sheer jaw-dropping effect, Craig Gardner’s audaciously struck half-volley from 25 yards out shaded it.
Lowlight: The bitter cold weather and blustery winds chilled supporters to the bone, and made it difficult for the players.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Sessegnon
Goals: Sessegnon 13, Gardner 85
Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside)
Att: 36,904
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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