Sunderland 1, Manchester City 2

Apr 14 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

JUST when you thought it was safe to look at the Premier League table again, Sunderland rediscover the art of self-destruction.

A defeat as infuriating and perplexing as any of the previous 17 this season has sent Roy Keane’s side back into the thick of a relegation fight and achieved what Keane couldn’t do this week – banish lingering complacency in the camp.

Keane had sensed Sunderland had taken their eye off the ball this week, and in front of a febrile crowd he saw his worst fears writ large as his side tossed away the good work of three consecutive wins in 11 mad minutes. A terrible penalty decision by Mike Riley on 79 minutes was the catalyst, but in truth the defeat was self-inflicted by the listless Black Cats.

It was the story of the season – a slow start that was only injected with urgency when Sunderland faced adversity. Dean Whitehead’s rifled volley should have been enough to earn a potentially valuable point, only this time it was the opposition who delivered the sting in the tail in the form of substitute Darius Vassell’s scruffy winner.

Keane will hope it is not a chain of events that leads back to the Championship. While relegation still seems a distant scenario, Keane’s players will have to reacquaint themselves with the prospect in the run-up to derby day.

After all, Sunderland’s seven-point comfort zone might have been cut to four by kick-off time at St James’s Park on Sunday. And who wants to be looking for the points to guarantee safety in that kind of atmosphere? At least Keane can reflect on one problem solved. They stood accused of taking their Premier League safety for granted on Saturday, a notion they were disabused of roughly by their manager afterwards.

“I believe one or two people, staff included, took their eyes off the ball this week. I’ve felt it in my bones,” said Keane. “I’ve been saying it all week and hopefully the players and staff will be picking up on it now. There is a lot of hard work still ahead for us.

“We’re in a decent position because it’s in our own hands but no doubt we’re going to do it the hard way.”

The explosive end was in direct contrast to the lifeless 79 minutes that preceded it.

Looking every inch the end-of-season dead rubber, there were precious few pedigree moments from either side.

Kenwyne Jones’ blockbusting run and shot on 23 minutes probably qualified as one by virtue of the precise pass from Kieran Richardson that set him up. His shot was blocked by Joe Hart, an impressively decisive presence between the posts for the visitors.

Apart from that it was an ugly mix of half-chances and midfield congestion, with both sides seemingly comfortable to share the spoils.

Step forward Mike Riley to light the blue touch paper for a pulsating last 11 minutes, spotting a foul on Daniel Sturridge where it appeared there wasn’t one.

There were surprisingly few protests from the players in red-and-white but contact was minimal, and it was Sturridge’s own momentum that forced him to trip over his own legs after Nosworthy had brushed him in the box.

It didn’t look like a dive from the young striker, but it certainly wasn’t a penalty either. Elano did the business from the spot and finally we had a game on our hands.

Sunderland’s riposte was swift and superb, Andy Reid teeing up Dean Whitehead’s sweetly-struck volley with a pin-point cross. The Stadium of Light rocked with relief but the celebrations were premature as Sunderland shot themselves in the foot again as the minutes ebbed away.

And – fittingly for a contest that rarely hit the heights – it was an ugly finish from Vassell that put City in charge. It started with an unforced error as Grant Leadbitter turned into a sea of sky blue shirts deep in his own half and conceded possession – the referee preventing his attempt to retrieve it as he got in the way of the action.

Elano received the ball and with a deft flick he played in Vassell, who turned the out-of-sorts Jonny Evans and scuffed a shot that looped past Craig Gordon.

It was a decisive blow that killed off the last of Sunderland’s lingering resistance. In fact it took a smart reaction stop from Gordon to prevent the Black Cats from going further behind as the goalkeeper parried Benjani’s shot after Elano’s free-kick proved too hot to handle.

An afternoon laced with disappointment had one more sting in the tail for the Sunderland fans as news of Fulham and Bolton’s heroics filtered through to the 47,000-plus crowd.

Not safe yet, then, and if they continue producing these kind of displays there might be a few more frayed nerves before the season’s end.