Sunderland’s miserable start to the season continued as they coughed up a two-goal half time lead to draw at home to visitors West Ham United on Saturday.
Steven Fletcher gave the Black Cats an early lead with an exceptional strike in the 10th minute before Jeremain Lens extended their lead 10 minutes later to make it 2-0 at the interval. The home side looked comfortable and heading towards their first victory of the season. However their performance after half time was not up to par as the visitors clawed their way back, with Sunderland having to share the points.
Sunderland
Costel Pantilimon – 4: Should have done better for West Ham’s equaliser after parrying Lanzini’s shot straight into the path of Payet.
Sebastian Coates – 6: Was solid all game and showed great composure and structure, minimising the influence of Sakho.
John O’Shea – 6: Showed excellent leadership and organisation at the back in the absence of Kaboul, never letting West Ham play in behind.
DeAndre Yedlin – 5: Was solid defensively in monitoring West Ham’s wingers from coming forward, but lacked a little confidence to be more expressive and venture forward.
Billy Jones – 5: Strong defending with some impact tackles while limiting the impact of Lanzini.
Yann M’Vila – 7: Was excellent in shielding his side’s defence while offering a lot going forward with his excellent vision and passing, assisting both of his side’s goals.
Lee Cattermole – 6: Strong in midfield shielding the back four and showing great energy to win the ball back for his side.
Jermain Lens – 5: Produced an outstanding finish with his classy chip over Adrian in goal, but hurt his side’s chances of claiming all three points when he received his second yellow and was sent off.
Ola Toivonen – 5: Worked hard all game to create space for others and obtain the ball in dangerous areas.
Fabio Borini – 6: His movement and work rate were on show again, creating havoc for the West Ham back four to deal with.
Steven Fletcher – 6: Scored the opening goal after 10 minutes with a cool finish from M’Vila’s free kick. Was heavily involved in majority of Sunderland’s attacks.
Substitutes
Sebastian Larsson – 5: Came on and provided his side solidarity to hold the point with his fresh legs.
Jack Rodwell – N/A: Did not play long enough to influence the game, but came on to help see out the draw.
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