ULTIMATELY, it was one of those nights. Pretty much everything that could have gone against Sunderland did as their ten-game unbeaten run finally came crashing to an end at Bramall Lane.
A missed penalty? Tick. With Patrick Roberts’ first-half effort being saved by Sheffield United goalkeeper Michael Cooper. A controversial sending off? Done before half-time, with Chris Mepham being dismissed for a foul on Tyrese Campbell that was deemed to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity even though Luke O’Nien appeared to be in a covering position.
Missed chances? A few of them, with Sunderland’s dominance of the opening hour, largely thanks to the excellence of teenager Tommy Watson, counting for nothing when they failed to score for the fourth time in the last six matches despite Sheffield United also being reduced to ten men.
Then, just as it looked as though the Black Cats were going to have to settle for a sixth successive draw, a sucker punch as Aji Alese’s tackle on Sydie Peck only succeeded in setting up Tom Davies, who fired a low shot past Anthony Patterson.
Sunderland won’t have many more frustrating nights than this all season, but while Regis Le Bris will be cursing his luck, his side’s failure to convert promising positions into victories is beginning to become something of a theme. Yes, luck went against them. But what sorted as a blip is beginning to become more of a worrying wobble.
That said though, the Black Cats had a right to feel extremely aggrieved at the loss of Mepham given that Sheffield United centre-half, Jack Robinson, had only received a yellow card for a very similar offence ten minutes earlier.
Robinson brought down Watson as the teenager was charging into the 18-yard box, but was only booked despite the Sunderland winger being about to pull the trigger. To further frustrate the Black Cats, Roberts was unable to covert from the penalty spot, with his low effort being clawed away by Cooper.
Referee Gavin Ward clearly felt that Robinson’s offence did not merit a red card, but his opinion differed markedly when a very similar incident played out at the opposite end towards the end of the first half.
This time, it was Tyrese Campbell breaking towards the Sunderland box after O’Nien’s loss of possession enabled Gustavo Hamer to slide a ball through to his striker.
Campbell was sent crashing by a sliding challenge from Mepham, and even though the Sheffield United forward had touched the ball back inside heading away from goal, and O’Nien appeared to have got himself back into a covering position, Ward reached for a straight red card.
It felt out of kilter with his previous call, and while the ‘double jeopardy’ rule tends to make officials more reluctant to issue a red card when a penalty is being awarded, there is surely very little sense in Mepham being dismissed just because his foul took place a foot or so outside the 18-yard box rather than a foot or so the other side of the line.
Be that as it may, Sunderland found themselves having to negotiate more than 50 minutes with ten men, although their task was made considerably easier when numerical parity was restored in first-half stoppage time.
Harry Souttar had already been booked for hacking down Wilson Isidor, and when the centre-half pulled back the same opponent as he spun away in the centre-circle, he was issued with a second yellow that was swiftly followed by a red. Given that his side were just getting on top, it was a particularly senseless dismissal.
The flurry of disciplinary action overshadowed what had actually been a good first half from Sunderland, with Watson’s direct running down the left providing a flurry of highlights.
Not only did the 18-year-old win Sunderland’s penalty, he also went close with a side-footed shot that flew just wide of the post.
He continued to hug the touchline in the second half, although with two less players on the field, the game became much more stretched after the break with both sides enjoying more space in the final third.
Le Bris’ approach to playing without a centre-half was interesting, with the Sunderland boss leaving his side with just three defenders when they were in possession, and instructing Dan Neil to drop into the backline as an auxiliary central defender when Sheffield United had the ball.
The ploy, which was enacted despite the presence of both Aji Alese and Leo Hjelde on the bench, enabled Sunderland to continue throwing men forward and the visitors continued to be the more threatening of the two teams.
Isidor fired a shot straight at Cooper after breaking into the right of the area, and while Harrison Burrows flashed a long-range free-kick just past the post at the other end, Sunderland’s threat on the break remained clearly evident.
They just needed a modicum more composure. Isidor’s perseverance secured him a wonderful position as he won the ball off Vini Souza in the Sheffield United penalty area midway through the second half, but he slashed at his shot and the ball sailed wide. Chris Rigg found himself in a great crossing position on the left, with players waiting in the box, but overhit his delivery and the ball flew out.
Sheffield United’s attack only really cranked into gear in the closing stages, with Anthony Patterson making two crucial saves in a minute as full-time approached, parrying a fiercely-struck shot from Souza before also keeping out a closer-range strike from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Patterson was powerless to prevent his side falling behind with seven minutes remaining, though, as the luck of the bounce went Sheffield United’s way.
Alese tackled Peck in the Sunderland area, but the ball fell kindly for Blades replacement, Davies, who drilled home a low finish.
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