EPL Round 23: Tottenham Hotspur FC vs Sunderland AFC
By: Lucas | January 19th, 2008Another tough pill to swallow as comedy defense is once again the theme of the day in Sunderland’s 0-2 defeat at White Hart Lane today.
Kieran Richardson did not make the trip to London after injuring his hamstring in training, meaning Paul McShane was back in the starting XI. It was McShane’s giveaway to set up Aaron Lennon’s opener after only 2 minutes, and for the rest of the first half Sunderland were under heavy pressure. The first time I heard Anthony Stokes’ name called was when he came off for Chopra after only 39 minutes. Keane’s men were counting themselves lucky to go to halftime only down 1-0 (thanks in part to the crossbar and a couple of class saves by Craig Gordon).
Sunderland came out of halftime with far more determination, and though there were occasional moments of trepidation, they were taking the game to Spurs and created plenty of chances. Chances created, not chances finished. McShane was mercifully taken off in favor of Andy Cole after 75′, and Sunderland were able to put even more pressure on the Tottenham defense. Credit to Spurs keeper Radek Cerny for standing on his head to keep Sunderland out of the goal during their late surge.
It was more risible defending in stoppage time from Sunderland, as the backline watched a Cerny clearance bounce gently to Robbie Keane, who then shot under a hapless Gordon. 2-0 the final, more rued mistakes, and Sunderland remain winless on the road this season and mired in the relegation zone.
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Tags: Aaron Lennon, Craig Gordon, English Premier League, Paul McShane, Radek Cerny, Robbie Keane, Sunderland, Team News, TottenhamSubscribe
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