Tottenham Hotspur 1, Sunderland 2

Aug 25 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

IN the space of 12 hours, Roy Keane learned a couple of lessons about ‘new Sunderland’.

On the day his team earned a hugely significant victory at White Hart Lane Keane was moved to dole out swift, summary justice to Pascal Chimbonda for missing a pre-match stroll – illustrating the delicate balance the Black Cats boss will have to maintain to capitalise on this encouraging start to the season.

A dressing room with as many combustible characters as Sunderland’s will need to be managed carefully over the next nine months, but the benefits of reinforcing his Premier League rookies with a mean, streetwise streak were spelt out in North London.

Keane set a precedent for the rest of the squad by dropping the French defender ahead of his return to White Hart Lane. Now he will hope that this superb victory at one of the division’s most upwardly mobile clubs does the same thing.

While Chimbonda missed out, fellow newcomers El-Hadji Diouf, Steed Malbranque and goalscoring debutant Djibril Cissé provided evidence of just how far they have improved Keane’s team, helping Sunderland to record an away win at the first time of asking. As if anyone needed reminding, it took them five months to do the same last season and the progress this win represents should not go without comment.

Chimbonda took his medicine with good grace and his celebration at Cissé’s winner was evidence that his bruised ego has not dimmed his commitment to the cause. He will be back to play a major part in Sunderland’s Premier League season – and what a journey that may be.

If last week’s performance against Liverpool drew patronising paragraphs of praise last weekend, this win should serve notice that the Sunderland of 2008-09 is a different animal from the team that meekly surrendered many times last season.

Not that last season’s crop are being left behind. The outstanding performances of defensive stalwarts Craig Gordon, Danny Collins and Nyron Nosworthy provided the breathing space for Sunderland to go one step further than they had against Liverpool, when the reward for a promising display was a harsh lesson in the importance of possessing a cutting edge.

The signing of Cissé – who emphatically dispatched Daryl Murphy’s beautifully flighted cross with virtually his only meaningful touch of his 25 minute cameo – displays that lesson has been learnt.

It is not the only counsel that appears to have been heeded at the Stadium of Light, where Keane is looking to bring in more wise heads to add to the proven performers who have improved them so much. “We didn’t have players like that last year – we were so naive,” Keane said after the game.

“I remember losing 7-1 at Everton and 3-0 at Luton. We were so raw. We are a bit more streetwise now. Malbranque showed it – when to go in and when to stay on your feet – and so did Diouf. At certain situations in the game when it was tight he’d hold people off take the ball and win a free-kick.”

Just as they had done against Liverpool last week, there was a swagger about the Black Cats who started against a Tottenham team also in the process of gelling in these early days of the season.

Like Keane, Tottenham manager Juande Ramos has spent lavishly to move his squad forward but it is the Black Cats that look to have added more sensibly. Spurs’ expensively assembled team utilised David Bentley in a role optimistically deemed to be “roving behind the back two”, but the England midfielder drifted on the periphery while the excellent Diouf, occupying a similar position for Sunderland, carried influence all over the pitch.

Luka Modric, too, was thoroughly overshadowed by the recalled Sunderland skipper Dean Whitehead. Not many who saw the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland would have thought that statement credible.

But that was the key to this Sunderland victory, a willingness by the artisans in red and white to graft and dig in to allow the creators the time and space to make their impact.

To be fair to the Croatian, Modric is clearly a precocious talent – as shown by his superb quick feet in the run-up to Jermaine Jenas’ stroked equaliser – but he will take time to assimilate in the Premier League.

You can’t say the same for Malbranque who, along with Andy Reid, was the outstanding midfielder in a game fully loaded with them.

Malbranque received the ball with relish, and during a first half in which Sunderland counter-attacked with impressive haste and intent Tottenham simply couldn’t find a way to disrupt his rhythm.

Working impressively in tandem with Reid, he crafted the best chance of the first half when he exchanged passes before thumping a low drive that cannoned off the post, which evaded both Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes and the on-rushing Diouf.

Sunderland started the second period in a similar vein, and while Tottenham slumbered Kieran Richardson stole the initiative with a spectacular curling shot from 30 yards. He was booked for removing his shirt in the celebration.

Awoken, Spurs charged forward and Sunderland rocked. First Gordon, in his only misplaced step of the game, spilled a long-range effort from Bentley.

But Jonathan Woodgate and Gareth Bale collided with each other in trying to apply a finishing touch.

Then Jenas equalised as the force of momentum became too much for Sunderland to withstand.

Sensing the tide was turning against his team, Keane sent for Cissé and just 17 minutes into his Sunderland career he grabbed the points for the Black Cats.

While he will undoubtedly have more influential games this season, rarely will his impact be as emphatic.

Murphy, claiming redemption after his sloppy mistake allowed Tottenham possession in the run-up to Jenas’ equaliser, played a terrific ball into the box and Cissé timed his run perfectly to head with power past Gomes.